Easy Cajun Cream Sauce for Shrimp and Grits
This easy cajun cream sauce is perfect for shrimp and grits and makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal. It's also delicious with pasta!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 large servings 1x
- Category: Quick & Easy Meals
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients
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Cajun Cream Sauce Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- 4 oz. Andouille sausage, diced small
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, minced (~ 4 ounces)
- 1/2 green bell pepper, minced (~ 2 ounces)
- 1-2 stalks celery, minced (~ 2 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Shrimp & Grits Ingredients
- 1 cup grits
- Chicken stock, heavy cream, and/or butter to prepare grits (refer to package instructions and see tips above)
- 12 ounces shrimp (any size, frozen or fresh, peeled and deveined)
- Scallions and/ or parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
For the Cajun Sauce
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook sausage until crispy over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove from sauce from the pan and set aside.
- Return the now-empty pan to the stovetop and set over medium-low heat. Add butter, minced onion, bell pepper, and celery, and sweat until softened. Add Cajun seasoning, paprika, and minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add flour to make a roux. Slowly add stock, and whisk until smooth. Then slowly add the heavy cream, whisk until smooth, and increase the heat to medium. Let simmer until thickened.
- Add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Mix about 3 oz. of the sausage back into the sauce, saving the remaining 1 oz. for garnish.
For the Shrimp & Grits
- Prepare grits (or pasta) separately, according to package instructions (see more tips on grits above). Cook shrimp until opaque. Serve with cajun cream sauce, garnishing with Andouille sausage, chopped scallions and/or fresh parsley.
Notes
- To save yourself some dishes, you can cook the shrimp from frozen right in the pan with the sauce. Add the shrimp the pan and cook in the simmering sauce until shrimp turns pink and opaque.