Cajun Shrimp Saute
with quinoa
This simple weeknight dinner packs a flavorful punch with lots of flavorful spices. Remember to taste and adjust spices until you're satisfied with the final results!
Ingredients
- Quinoa - 2 cups, uncooked
- Shrimp - 1 lb, shelled & deveined
- Paprika - 1 tsp
- Oregano - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Cayenne pepper - 1/8 tsp ((leave out if it'll be too spicy for kids))
- Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 2 Tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce - 1 Tbsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Red onion - 1, chopped
- Red pepper - 1, chopped
- Green pepper - 2, chopped
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
- Thyme - 4 sprigs, leaves of
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Shrimp - Defrost, rinse, and dry.
- Sauce - Mix together paprika, oregano, salt, sugar, black pepper, cayenne with mustard, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Sauce - Mix 1/2 the sauce with shrimp.
- Garlic / Red onion / Peppers - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Quinoa - Combine quinoa with 1 3/4 cup (411 ml) of water (or stock if your prefer) for every cup of quinoa. Add in a generous dash of salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
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Make
- Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. (15 ml) cooking oil and then garlic to heated oil. Once you can smell the garlic, add in red onions with a dash of salt. Saute for ~3 minutes, until the onions start to soften. If at any time the pan looks dry, add a splash of liquid (like water, stock, or wine).
- Next add in peppers with thyme leaves and remainder of sauce. Saute for ~2 to 3 minutes. Things should be smelling good now!
- Add in shrimp and saute until shrimp is cooked through, ~4 to 8 minutes (this largely depends on how big your shrimp are). Turn off heat and season to taste with more spices or salt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy over quinoa.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
10 reviews
The cajun just wasn't quite right...actually pretty far from it but otherwise a solid choice.
We did really like the spices/sauce (I doubled the cayenne), but somehow it still tasted bland. Maybe the flavor would have improved if we had marinated the shrimp in the sauce for a couple of hours. Rice would have probably absorbed the flavorful portion better than quinoa did. I'm also not a huge fan of green peppers so maybe I should have tried yellow or orange instead.
This was delicious and easy to make. For a less expensive meal, it would be great on rice or pasta.
Just the right amount of spice and super quick to prepare. I made my quinoa in my rice cooker which meant even less work.