Ok, I’ve finally written down my recipe for Killer Cajun Shrimp - which is now the ONLY reason I would ever move back to California. (My other reason 
is no longer valid!) Los Angeles is home to the famous, Killer Shrimp, a restaurant that only serves 1 dish…Killer Shrimp. But you do have choices. You can order Killer Shrimp with Bread, Killer Shrimp with Rice or Killer Shrimp with Pasta. Its a rich, divine broth spiced with the most ‘killer’ concoction of peppers and spices. Nestled in the broth is a mountain of massive shrimp that you peel, swirl in the brew and eat. Take a slice of french bread
, dip it in the broth to mop up all the goodness. You don’t want to leave one drop behind.
How spicy is it? Hmmm….how to describe? Well, its not sharp spicy hot like biting into a habenero, this type of spicy is the slow, complex, lingering heat that you don’t feel until 10 minutes into the meal when you notice that your nose has little beads of sweat.
Beware: its highly addictive and this will probably affect you for the rest of your life. Be prepared to acknowledge and satisfy your cravings for the next 15 years. Keep lots of napkins nearby and don’t expect to have table conversation. Have a few beers handy. If one of your guests don’t like spice, well, then I suggest that they grab a Happy Meal on their way to your house. Don’t be scared off by the bright red broth - the color doesn’t come from the hot peppers, it comes from tomato paste. You can adjust the heat factor based on your taste by using less pepper (but why would you do that?!)
So, what would make this recipe even more KILLER? A version with Crawfish of course!
The recipe itself is very simple. Active time is only 15 minutes, but you’ll want to simmer the concoction for 1 hour (or more if you have the time)
Killer Cajun Shrimp or Crawfish
Serves 4 hungry people
The Aromatics: Fry onion, celery, garlic in the butter until fragrant and soft
½ small onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 stick of butter
The Spices: place all in a morter & smash (or just quickly run knife through the herbs on cutting board) You want the herbs to still stay whole, but you need to smash them to release its flavors. Add spices to the pot.
2 T Dried or fresh rosemary
2 tsp Dried thyme
1 T Dried fennel
2 tsp Celery seed
1 T Crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like it too spicy, you can always add more later)
2 tsp Black Pepper (again, use less if you’re a wimp)
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
The Broth: Add the broth ingredients, simmer on low for at least 1 hour. Taste, add more salt if needed
1.5 quarts Chicken broth (low sodium and organic - because you already got a whole stick o’ butter in it already, might as well add some sort of health benefit to this dish)
16 oz Bottled Clam juice
1/2 lemon (cut in half just throw both pieces in the broth)
3 oz. Tomato paste
1 cup White wine
The Shrimp or Crawfish: Just before serving, add and simmer until done (how long depends on how big your shrimp or crawfish are. start with 3 minutes for Shrimp and 7 minutes for Crawfish. Check and adjust with more time if needed)
2 lbs Shrimp or 4 lbs Crawfish
The Bread:
1-2 loaves French bread, sliced - you can make your own loaves very easily! I always have 2 loaves on hand, 9 times out of 10 we grab the pot with leftover broth and dig in with the second loaf
April 21st, 2007 at 11:38 am
This sounds like a wonderful recipe. Saving it to del.icio.us right now.
April 21st, 2007 at 11:42 am
Hi Kalyn, thanks for visiting! Let me know how you like it.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 pm
oh, mmm! this shrimp recipe looks, well, killer! i adore cajun food…i have stopped allowing myself to buy any more cajun cookbooks because i have so many!
April 24th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Cindy-you can never have too many cookbooks!
April 26th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
This sounds FANTASTIC…..with just one reservation: An entire stick of butter gives me pause. Those of us on low saturated fat diets can dream of swilling such bliss these days. =P
April 28th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
hee, hee! that’s what i keep saying when my family looks at me funny for buying yet another cookbook! i have about 175 now, but i still don’t have as many as my mom does!
April 28th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Brent-yeah, a whole stick of butter is pretty insane. BUT, you do split that amongst 4 people, so really its only a couple tablespoons!
May 1st, 2007 at 7:01 pm
This looks suspiciously like the New Orleans BBQ shrimp recipe with vegetables in it. Spices are almost the same and instead of white wine, original uses beer
Rex
May 1st, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Hey Rex, I’ll have to try with beer next time…see if that tastes better than wine.
May 21st, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Frank and I will be over tomorrow!
June 9th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Okay….. I am from Louisiana and this sounds good……. I will let you know how it turns out….. I also snagged the 10 minute Miso…..
You are funny, articulate and creative…… keep up the good cooking.
Sonja
August 24th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Oh this look delicious………………next time when i get fresh scampis i am going to do this recipe, i habe put in my favorite
If i don’t get clam juice can i substitute with something else
November 20th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Hi - love your website…quick question on the simmering for an hour…is it done with the lid on or off to reduce the liquid? Great work here…thanks in advance.
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 am
Bottom line - the recipe picture looks better than it actually tastes! either that or the cooking instructions were not good. I simmered away 2 quarts of liquid for 1.5 hrs and i was still left with soup!
I would not move from anywhere to anywhere for this! In all fairness - great website and enthusiasm, I just wish that the food tasted as good!
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Dave- it’s supposed to be a soup. You ladle a spoonful into each dish and dip your bread into it.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:50 am
Dear SteamKitchen,
I can not see from which kitchen in China your original cooking information. Pls let me know, i am interested to know. I surely will try one by one. Also my question is if you also have in indonesian lanquaques or dutch ? I am happy to foud this morning your site Htpp:// and so on.
greatings, G Siregar,
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:03 am
steamykitchen,
i am from calif and simply LOVED and truly MISS “Killer Shrimp”!
I have been looking for recipe to make it… have found a few but with some dissimilarities. Might I ask where you got yours? and that picture looks exactly like it is supposed to! or is that from the restaurant itself?
folks… this dish is to die for! you gotta try it!
January 21st, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I just made it, and it is indeed heavenly! I am ladling up the last few spoonfuls of broth in between typing, it’s just too tasty.
I had to substitute broth with fish sauce for the clam juice, which makes me wonder how much more sublime the proper dish will taste.
This one is definitely up there with the Steamed Mussels in Lemongrass Coconut Curry, as one of the dishes I’ll be cooking for years to come, whenever I can’t control the urge to splurge on seafood.
Thanks, Jaden!