With Summer winding down and myself already looking forward to a collection of pumpkin, apple, and cinnamon-infused recipes I’ve been bookmarking over these past few months in anticipation of the Fall, I thought I’d share one final “Hurrah!” of a seasonal, cookout-friendly recipe – with a spicy kick, of course! – to prepare for any upcoming Labor Day Weekend gatherings you have planned.
We all know how much I love Cajun cuisine (and thankfully, Gombo isn’t far from me when I need a fix!), so these shrimp boil skewers are one of my favorite appetizer/side dishes to throw together for myself or for friends/family before it’s time to officially retire the grill for the season.
Side Note: All of the pictures in this post were taken before I smothered the skewers with the Cajun butter and parsley, because I can confirm that by the time I was done adding the heat and the toppings – you couldn’t even tell what these were underneath!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
6 SERVINGS:
FOR THE SPICY CAJUN BUTTER:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch red-pepper flakes
FOR THE SKEWERS:
- 1 pound baby potatoes (red or yellow)
- 1 pound unpeeled shrimp
- 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, sliced
- 4 ears corn, each cut into 4 to 6 pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
1. Make the Cajun Butter: In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the chile powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper and red-pepper flakes; heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.
2. Cook the Potatoes: Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until just barely fork tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain.
3. Assemble the Skewers: Arrange 3 shrimp, 3 pieces of sausage, 3 potatoes and 2 pieces of corn on each skewer.
4. Brush each skewer generously with the Cajun butter and season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook on a preheated grill or grill pan until nicely charred on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.
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The skewers I bought this time around weren’t quite long enough, so I had to make some adjustments when arranging the presentation, but they still came out great and tasted fantastic!
Within the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be rolling out some hearty, cozy entrée, dessert and appetizer recipes for the upcoming season – but I thought this was a great way to close out my Summer 2024 Recipe Series!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 