Sweet and savory pan-seared salmon topped with sautéed shrimp in cajun butter sauce. Salmon New Orleans is an unforgettable 30 minute meal your family will crave! Cook for 4 even if there are fewer as I will tend to save two or three for lunches or leftovers for dinner.
Serves: 4
* Time to assemble the spices: 10 mins
* Cooking time: 30 minutes
* Total time: 30 mins
Ingredients
1 cup of rice
4 6-8 ounce salmon fillets. I prefer the lighter thicker salmon over the thinner darker salmon.
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
8 tablespoons butter (a stick if you’re using that)
2 tablespoons honey
Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper. Note that this is what makes it spicy. A half teaspoon gives it a very slight bit of spice. Heaping adds just the right amount for me. Adjust as necessary.
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 heaping teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation Instructions
In a small bowl stir together all Cajun seasoning ingredients and set aside.
Set the shrimp in a bowl of warm water and peel them. Rinse them and make them ready for the frying pan. Don’t cook them first as they get rubbery when overcooked.
Cooking Instructions
Start the rice cooking. Typically I use Jasmine rice and it takes about 25 minutes to cook. When the rice is done, the salmon and shrimp will also finish cooking and it can be served all at once.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add honey and whisk to combine (mixture should be bubbly). Rinse salmon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add salmon fillets to pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, then flip and cook another 7-8 minutes until salmon is cooked through, flaky, and browned. I’ll add the remainder of the butter about half way after the salmon has flipped. Otherwise the butter/honey mixture tends to caramelize. Transfer salmon to a platter and cover with an aluminum foil tent to keep warm.
If you haven’t already, add the remaining butter to the pan over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, stir in Cajun seasoning. Add shrimp to pan and saute until opaque, about 5-6 minutes.
Serve rice with salmon and both topped with shrimp. Drizzle any extra pan sauce over the top and garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.