Lately, I’ve realized a pattern with my cooking. I gravitate to a lot of simple, one-pot meals that celebrate seasonal flavors without ever getting too fussy. And today’s easy blackened skillet shrimp is right in line with this thinking; it’s a light, vibrant meal that lets summer’s best flavors really shine. And who can resist a great 30-minute meal like that?!
I think the trick with one-pot meals is in building the flavors. Here, I first season the shrimp with jerk or blackening seasoning—my favorite is Zatarian’s—then cook the shrimp 2-3 minutes per side. Once cooked, I set aside and cook the okra, cherry tomatoes and snap peas with salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil. The cast iron really brings the flavors front and center, allowing the fresh vegetables to soak up the seasoning just right. And after the vegetables are cooked tender, I throw in the shrimp once more to warm the entire dish together. Lastly, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and red pepper flakes tie it all together.
Like I mentioned above, and I’m sure you’ll agree when you make the dish yourself, this easy blackened skillet shrimp recipe really celebrates summer’s vibrant flavors. Tag me on Instagram @waitingonmartha #waitingonmartha; I’d love to see your versions at home! Truly, MKR
P.S. Check out our Shrimp Scampi and other irresistible summer recipes in our Recipe Index. xo
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4-6 oz. okra halves, sliced lengthwise
- 4-6 oz. sugar snap peas or snow peas, in the pod
- 3 ears of fresh corn, off the cob (you can also use frozen)
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, keep some whole and some halved
- juice of 1 lemon, to garnish
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- Sprinkle your favorite jerk or blackening seasoning on the deveined shrimp, set aside.
- Spray cast iron skillet with nonstick spray. Next, line it with a high-heat oil (coconut oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, etc. You want one that can handle a high heat - not olive oil).
- Heat the skillet to medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is thoroughly heated, cook the shrimp 2-3 mins per side. They're done when they become a translucent pink. When cooking, make sure the shrimp are laying flat to cook evenly.
- Remove shrimp from skillet, add in all of your vegetables to skillet. Turn back to medium heat and cook until tender. You can add some olive oil here, along with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once vegetables are cooked to preference, add the shrimp back in to warm the entire dish together.
- To finish, you may want to add additional olive oil. Lastly, add lemon juice and optional red pepper flakes, mixing all together to serve.
