A few months ago, on the Host the Toast facebook page, I asked people what their favorite recipes on the web were.  I got some great responses from people telling me about "Chocolate Lasagna" and "Banana French Toast Cupcakes" and other things that are making me too hungry to think about on a Monday morning.
Then, of course, James decided to comment to tell me to "make more dips". Â That's not what I was asking, but okay. Â The man knows what he wants, I guess.
James also insists that I "give the people what they want" which always miraculously lines up with his own personal taste. Â Sure, James, the people. Â If I'm making something with walnuts, he'll tell me "the people hate walnuts". Â If I'm thinking about making cake, he'll remind me that "the people LOVE chocolate cake". Â And so on.
I don't always follow his advice, but I thought he was right in his dip assumption, (and he says it so often that I couldn't ignore it, even if I wanted to,) so I've made a bunch of them lately. Â If you need an idea for a party appetizer or game day snack, you know where to go.
(Hint: it's this blog. Â Oh, you got it. Â Oh. Â Okay. Â Just checking.)
Anyway, I made this dip because I was seriously craving some spiced-up shrimp and a ton of cheese. Â You can't go wrong with cheese. Â Can I get a high-five to that?
Cajun Shrimp Dip makes great use of the trinity of Cajun cooking: onion, bell pepper, and celery.  Add in some garlic, parsley, and pimento for extra flavor, a bit of Cajun seasoning and Tabasco for heat, some mini shrimp, and 2 types of cheese, and your taste buds won't even know what to do with themselves.  It's that good (and that easy)!
Serve the Cajun Shrimp Dip with french bread or chips and it will disappear quicker than you can say "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"
PrintCajun Shrimp Dip
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (4 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ¼ yellow onion, chopped
- 1 (1 lb) package frozen cooked mini salad shrimp, thawed
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 dash tabasco sauce
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
- French bread baguette slices or chips, to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once completely melted, add in the bell pepper, garlic, pimiento, celery, and red onion. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
- Add in the thawed salad shrimp, the cream cheese, half of the cheddar, and the Tabasco. Sprinkle everything with the Cajun seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix until well combined and the shrimp is warmed through.
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheddar cheese and let melt. You can place the dip under the broiler for a minute at this point if you'd like the top to be slightly browned and bubbly.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve with bread or chips.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
The people DO love dips! And this one looks fantastic! Love all of that cheesy goodness 🙂
Kathy M says
What size skillet did you use?
Morgan says
I believe it's a 10 inch skillet
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
This dip looks so mouthwatering! Great pictures too!
Becky | The Cookie Rookie says
YUM!!! This looks to die for!!
Kim says
I live in New Orleans and I can say that looks absolutely delicious!
Chris says
Can I make this ahead of time and heat in the microwave or oven? We have a Fat Tuesday party and this looks perfect.