Onion Boil Cajun Shrimp Sausage (Printable Version)

Juicy shrimp, smoky sausage, potatoes, corn, and onions melded with robust Cajun spices for a lively Southern dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 2 lbs large raw shrimp, shell-on, deveined

→ Meats

02 - 1 lb andouille sausage or smoked sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 large yellow onions, quartered
04 - 4 ears corn, cut into thirds
05 - 1.5 lbs small red potatoes, halved

→ Seasoning & Aromatics

06 - 4 cloves garlic, smashed
07 - 1 lemon, halved
08 - 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 tbsp kosher salt
11 - 1 tsp black peppercorns

→ To Serve

12 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
13 - Fresh parsley, chopped
14 - Lemon wedges

# Directions:

01 - Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Add quartered onions, smashed garlic, squeezed lemon halves, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat.
02 - Add halved potatoes to the boiling liquid and cook for 15 minutes until just beginning to soften.
03 - Add corn pieces and sliced sausage to the pot. Boil for 10 minutes.
04 - Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes until pink and just cooked through.
05 - Drain the boil through a large colander. Discard bay leaves and lemon halves.
06 - Spread the mixture onto a serving platter. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pot, which means cleanup is genuinely manageable for a weeknight dinner that feels like celebration.
  • The shrimp cook so quickly that even if you're nervous about seafood, you can't possibly mess this up.
  • It's gluten-free without any awkward substitutions, so you're not creating a separate meal for anyone at the table.
02 -
  • If you cook the shrimp too long, they become tough and lose that sweet, tender texture that makes people reach for another one—three minutes is usually better than four.
  • Don't skip draining the boil thoroughly, because excess water pooling on the plate dilutes all that seasoning you've worked to build.
03 -
  • Squeeze the lemon halves directly into the water before dropping them in—it's a small move that distributes the acid more evenly than just tossing them in whole.
  • If you have access to fresh Cajun seasoning from a specialty market rather than the standard store-bought version, use it—the flavor depth is genuinely noticeable and worth seeking out.
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