Soo, hey!! Who’s ready for Monday!

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I have been sitting at my desk now for a good twenty minutes, just kind of staring at my screen, wracking my brain for just how to start this Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp post. I’ve said this before, but the first line of every single post is typically the hardest for me to write. I just need a starting point and from there I can usually keep going.

WATCH THE HOW-TO VIDEO:

After twenty minutes of coming up with nothing catchy, I figured I’d just start with the truth. My brain is full of thoughts right now, but no good starting lines, so we’ll just randomly dive right into things!

Cool. 🙂

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

If you guys follow me on Snapchat or Instagram then you know I started to shoot the recipes for the cookbook this weekend. I’m only shooting a handful of recipes this week, I just need to make sure I get to use all the killer summer tomatoes and peaches that are currently taking over my local farm stand before they disappear for the season. The rest of the shots will happen in September. Here’s the thing, I have been stockpiling new props for “cookbook shoots only” for the last six months. For a while, I was actually being good and not using them, but then I got tired of using the same props over and over, and well, the inevitable happened, I broke into the sacred “cookbook only” props and started using them for blog photo shoots and other projects.

NOOO…  like why did I have to do that?

Now I am scrambling to find new props that you guys have never seen before. No joke, I have all my family members searching high and low for dishes and surfaces. My phone is constantly buzzing with new photos of this and that. This all started with my brother Brendan and his girlfriend Lyndsie. They live in Portland, which is the land of awesome pottery and vintage packed flea markets. I asked them if they would be willing to shop around for me and they jumped at the chance. I mean, this is Brendan’s and Lyndsie’s thing. Soo for the last week they have been all over the place looking for new items for me to shoot with. They even made the drive up to Seattle to roam around there for two days. They found some goods, but trust me, I am picky, and prop shopping is not the easiest task… they did good though!

On Saturday I was texting with Kai (my younger brother who is closest to me in age), he mentioned that he and Cait (his girlfriend) were going to World Market…oh man, he should have never told me that. For some reason when he said it like a light went off in my head, “oh my gosh, he’s in LA, they can totally find me some awesome stuff”. After that he basically had no choice other than to help me out and shop till they dropped. Poor Kai, Cait’s a pro shopper, but Kai? Well, he’s just a really, really good sport.

I couldn’t believe they spent all day looking, like that’s not an easy thing to do, and they sent me a gazillion photos. They didn’t end up getting all that much, because like I said, I am really picky when it comes to dishes, but their efforts where super impressive, and what they did find was cool.

Soo really what I am trying to say is that my family members are awesome and I love that they will always have my back… one of the bonuses of being part of a large family. 🙂

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And that was my weekend in a nut shell. Many other things happened, but all in all it was busy, and good.

What did you guys do???

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

OkOK. Let’s talk about this big bowl of comfort right here.

We are sadly nearing the end of August. Asher starts school tomorrow. For me this means slowly introducing more comfort foods, while still retaining their summery vibe. So guys, say hello to the bestest shrimp piled over the creamiest, most perfect cheesy corn polenta.

Honestly, this is what late summer dinner perfection looks like.

The shrimp is possibly the simplest thing ever, it’s also so fast to make. PLUS, it is totally delish! But then, how could anything covered in cajun seasoning, garlic, lemon and butter not be insanely amazing!?!

Most of the time when I make shrimp, I pair it with one of three carbs, rice, pasta or polenta. Since I really wanted to include some summer corn in this recipe I knew I had no choice other than creamy, buttery polenta.

I mean, DUH.

The polenta is a must… A MUST. You spoon the saucy shrimp over top and it’s just beyond perfect. Spicy, buttery, slightly cheesy, creamy… and filled with summer corn and fresh basil.

Yes please!

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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4.39 from 36 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon shrimp

A delicious, creamy fish dish with zest

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 578 kcal

Ingredients

Caramelized Corn Polenta

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed from the cob
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup dry polenta
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper

Cajun Lemon Butter Shrimp

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on or off
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

Caramelized Corn Polenta

  1. Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the corn and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook 5-8 minutes or until the corn has browned lightly and caramelized.
  2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups milk to a low boil in a medium size pot. Whisk in the polenta and cook 15-20 minutes until thickened. Stir in the parmesan cheese and corn, season with salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Add the shrimp, cajun seasoning and a large pinch of pepper. Cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook the shrimp in the butter until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn a LIGHT golden brown, about another minute or two. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and lemon juice. If needed, season to taste with salt.

  4. Serve the shrimp over the polenta, spooning any sauce left in the pan over the shrimp. EAT!
Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Monday Dinner = Done and DONE ?

PS. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite bloggers in the Bloglovin 2016 awards…Half Baked Harvest is nominated for best food blog, yeah!!

PSS. I’ve also been nominated for the SAVEUR Magazine 2016 Blog Awards for Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners! I would be so grateful if you would go and vote for your favorite blogger. You can vote everyday from now until August 31st! ?

Cajun Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp with Caramelized Corn Polenta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest