Grilled shrimp skewers with spicy seasoning.
Not a heritage dish — this is a 1980s–90s American restaurant invention riding the Cajun blackening trend popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans. Blackening had no precedent in Louisiana cooking before Prudhomme perfected blackened redfish at his restaurant K-Paul's in March 1980; his 1984 bestseller Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen made the technique famous nationally. The skewer format itself is Mediterranean/American grill culture; what's Cajun is the rub. Authentic Cajun home cooking favors crawfish boils and gumbo over grilling.
Not heritage — a 1980s restaurant invention riding Paul Prudhomme's blackening trend (his 1984 K-Paul's cookbook took it nationwide). Dry rub beats marinade because shrimp cooks too fast to absorb wet seasoning. Tight O-shape means overcooked; loose C is the target.
Three or four shrimp threaded tail to head on a wooden skewer, crusted in dry rub — paprika, cayenne, garlic, oregano, black and white pepper — and grilled over high heat until the spice blackens at the edges. Shells often left on the tails so they stay juicy. Lemon at the table. The right shrimp is opaque all the way through but still curls into a loose C; tight O means overcooked.
Dry rub matters more than marinade for shrimp because shrimp is too thin and quick-cooking to absorb wet seasoning before it overcooks. The paprika sugar caramelizes and the cayenne capsaicin crusts under high heat — that's the blackened look. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes or they char through and drop the shrimp into the fire.
Variations
K-Paul's original used redfish-style blackening rub; Prejean's in Lafayette runs theirs sweeter with brown sugar; Acme Oyster House in New Orleans grills over pecan wood instead of charcoal.
On the Palate
Where Cajun Shrimp Skewers sits in the Cajun flavor cloud
Lean on a dry rub, not a wet marinade, and grill fast over high heat — shrimp is too thin to soak up wet seasoning before it overcooks, and the paprika sugar plus cayenne only crust into that blackened char when they hit a hard, hot fire.
Ingredients
How it's made
3 steps · 21 min
- 15 min
In a bowl, combine shrimp, cajun seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, and minced garlic. Toss until the shrimp are well coated and let them marinate for a fragrant infusion.
Watch outToss until every shrimp wears an even, clinging coat of rub — bald spots won't char or color.
- 210 min
Thread the marinated shrimp onto skewers, alternating with slices of onion and lemon for a burst of color and flavor.
- 36 min
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the grill, cooking until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, with a slight char, about 3 minutes per side.
Watch outWatch for the flesh to turn from grey-translucent to pink and opaque with dark char marks — that flip is your cue it's done, not the timer.
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