Cajun Shrimp and Jalapeño Cornbread is a show stopper complete meal with grilled shrimp, corn pineapple salsa piled high on top of a moist, sweet and slightly spicy cornbread.
Let's have a little fun and start grilling and chilling. The weather is mild and is time to entertain with family and friends out on the barbecue (BBQ).
Grilling and Chilling
When the weather gets warmer, it only seems natural to want to be outdoors and enjoy the rays. Build your family and friends a BBQ tower of love with grilled sweet and spicy jalapeño cornbread, topped off with some of the delicious zesty grilled corn and pineapple salsa and then topped with tender, succulent Cajun lime shrimp. This dish is perfect for entertaining around the grill.
Vegan and Gluten Free Jalapeño Cornbread
I made an egg free, lactose free and gluten-free Jalapeño Cornbread with Cajun spices that was super moist and delicious. I can't believe gluten-free can be so good. Super tender and moist and addictive.
I then cut out a few slices of the baked Jalapeño Cornbread and put them on the grill to get nice and toasty on the outside and warm and moist on the inside. I swear I could have made a meal out of just that...
How to Make Cajun Shrimp and Jalapeño Cornbread
I then marinated my shrimp in Cajun Seasoning, lime, olive oil and cilantro and put them on the grill until they were just perfectly rosy pink.
I should have anticipated this particular problem, as a mother of hungry boy teenagers, but for some reason I only purchased about a 2.0 pounds of shrimp. I know, I know!!! What was I thinking?!?! For some strange reason I was under the impression that 2.0 pounds of shrimp should be more than enough to feed a family of four.
The "usual math" for determining how much shrimp to serve at a meal is about ½ pound of shrimp per person as a main. This math is not accurate for hungry teenagers, it is not anywhere even in the ballpark. I did manage to get in there a fetch off a few delicious Cajun lime shrimp for myself. I have learned my lessons the hard way but I always serve up my small plate of food first and hide it in the kitchen before feeding the hungry boys. These Cajun lime shrimp were perfectly seasoned and juicy.
I finished off the corn on the cob on the grill and slathered them with a little butter, Cajun seasoning and lime zest.
I grilled my pineapple until they had nice little grill marks and the sweet flavor intensified.
I made a very delicious salsa with grilled pineapple, grilled corn on the cob, red peppers, onion, cilantro, lime and of course more of that delicious Cajun seasoning. I really enjoyed this fun and easy salsa. Grilling the pineapple and the corn really made the flavours come out and it is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, slightly tart and delicious. This salsa would be great with fish, chicken or any type of TEX MEX meal.
I then built the tower of love starting with my grilled Jalapeño Cornbread on the bottom of the plate, then I topped it off with some of the delicious zesty grilled corn and pineapple salsa and then topped the whole plate off with the Cajun lime shrimp.
The inspiration for this dish was Chef Lenny. Chef Lenny and I are Foodie Facebook buddies. I always love keeping in touch with him as he is a big avid fisherman and he posts the pictures of his catches of the day. One day, I was commenting on how delicious one of his meals looked with lots of fresh seafood and Cajun spices and how my boys put Cajun seasoning on everything, I mean everything.... like macaroni and cheese, eggs, soups, chicken, fish, and even popcorn. Hey don't knock the popcorn idea until you tried it. It is quite nice.
I did not realize this at the time but in addition to being a chef, Chef Lenny also has his own seasoning brand called "Chef Lenny's Seasoning Original Cajun Style". How fun is that!
My boys starting using Chef Lenny's Cajun seasoning on everything. Before my boys polished off the bottle, I decided to make my Jalapeño Cornbread with BBQ Cajun Lime Shrimp and Pineapple Corn Salsa. My boys and I have tried many different Cajun spice brands in the past. Most of them are extremely spicy and without much flavor. I really enjoyed Chef Lenny's Cajun spice as it was slightly smokey and flavorful with a little heat. I have not gotten much feedback from the boys. However, actions do speak louder than words, and they managed to polished off 2 this delicious Cajun Shrimp and Jalapeno Cornbread in about 5 minutes flat.
More Delicious Shrimp Recipes
Spicy Shrimp with Creamy Tartor Dip
Thai Firecracker Shrimp Party Bundles
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Cajun Shrimp and Jalapeno Cornbread
Ingredients
Jalapeno Corn Bread
- 3 tbsp butter
(I used lactose free margarine) - ⅓ cup apple sauce
natural plain - ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup sugar
or sugar alternative - 1 egg
or egg replacement (1 teaspoon baking powder +1 Tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon vinegar) - 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup cornmeal
fine to medium grain - 1 cup gluten free bread mix
- 1 jalapeno
sliced
Cajun Lime Shrimp
- 2 pounds shrimp
uncooked peeled, deveined but leave tail on. - 2 tbsp lime juice
or juice of 1 lime - 1.3 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp cilantro
chopped - 2 tbsp olive oil
Grilled Pineapple Corn Salsa
- 2 corn on cob whole (husks removed, washed and steamed)
- 2 tbsp butter or dairy free margarine
- ½ tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 6 slices pineapple
fresh pineapple sprayed with a little cooking oil spray so they don't stick on the grill - ½ cup red bell pepper
chopped - ¼ cup onion
chopped - ¾ cup tomato
chopped - 2 tbsp cilantro
chopped - 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
or juice from 1 lime - salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Jalapeño Cornbread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and lightly grease an iron skillet or loaf pan or even muffin tins , if you wish.
- Make Buttermilk subsitute-In a small bowl add the 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the one cup almond milk and set aside. If you are using buttermilk you can omit this step. (I use almond milk as I am lactose intolerant)
- Make egg replacement- In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon baking powder +1 Tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon vinegar. If you are using a real egg, you can omit this step. (I use an egg replacer as I am egg intolerant)
- Melt the butter and add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the applesauce, honey and sugar alternatives of choice, egg or egg replacer and mix.
- Add the salt, baking soda and cajun seasoning and mix.
- Add the almond milk and vinegar mixture or buttermilk and mix.
- Stir in cornmeal and gluten free bread mix until well incorported.
- Pour your cornmeal mixture into your greased pan (I used an iron skillet) and make sure the mixture is spread evenly in the pan. Place your sliced jalapeño slices to decorate the top of the bread. (You could also put some jalapeño slices directly into the mix but I wanted mine easy to pick out or off if not wanted.)
- Pop your bread in your preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean and the top is slightly golden brown. (If hosting a gathering this can be done the day ahead)
- Set aside the jalapeño cornbread to rest while you prepare the rest of your dishes.
- Make the Grilled Pineapple Corn Salsa
- Cook your corn on the cob. You can do this by many methods just pick one that suites you. If you want to stay outside and enjoy the day, remove the silk threads from the corn and soak corn in water and then grill your corn on the grill for about ½ hour. You can also steam for ½ hour, boil for about 20 minutes or also cook your corn in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes or until the corn is tender. The choice is yours.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, cajun seasoning and lime zest. Mix and brush on the corn.
- Preheat/prepare your BBQ grill. I have a gas grill but a charcoal grill is even better. If you do not have a grill , no worries, a grill pan on top of your stove works great too.
- Chop up red bell peppers, onions, cilantro and add to a medium bowl. Add fresh lime juice and cilantro and cajun seasoning and stir. Set aside until you finish grilling your corn and pineapple that will be added later.
- Cut pineapple into half slice slices that are big enough to put on the grill and don't fall through the cracks. I used fresh pineapple but in a pinch you could substitute with canned pineapple. Brush with a little olive oil or use a little spray oil so they do not stick on the grill. Set aside to be grilled later.
Cajun Lime Shrimp
- In a medium bowl place your cleaned deveined shrimp but leave the tail on. Add olive oil, cajun seasoning, lime juice and cilantro and mix well. Set aside. Can be marinated up to 4 hours in advance.
Pulling it all together
- Place your buttered corn and pineapple on the BBQ grill medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until you see nice grill marks. Once you flip over your corn and pineapple once, you can add your marinated cajun lime shrimp to the grill. (Your shrimp will cook really fast about maybe about 1-2 minutes on each side until they are beautifully pink and no longer translucent. Do not overcook the shrimp)
- Remove shrimp, corn and pineapple from the grill and keep warm. Keep the gas on the grill as next you will be grilling your cornbread.
- Cut the pineapple into bite sized pieces and add to the salsa. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the salsa and stir. Adjust seasoning as needed. Salt and pepper.
- Cut wedges from your Jalapeño cornbread and brush with a little olive oil and place on the grill just until it gets warm and you have nice grill marks on each side.
Build Your Tower of Love:
- Place one slice of grilled jalapeño cornbread on the centre of the plate. Top with a couple tablespoons of your delicious grilled pineapple corn salsa. Top off with 3 large succulent cajun lime shrimp. Place the rest of the items in the table to share. Enjoy with a large salad, fruity sangrias or your favourite beer or "ginger ale" for the kids.
- Have fun Grilling and chilling!
Great recipe. I really like your layout as well!