Crispy Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs Recipe
Crispy Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs deliver a bold fusion of flavors and textures in a little two-bite package.
Why and When to Make This Recipe
Crispy Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs are a fun and deliciously bold take on the potluck classic. These gems effortlessly blend the charm of traditional deviled eggs with an explosion of flavors, courtesy of Cajun seasonings. Creamy, tangy egg yolk filling sits inside perfectly cooked egg whites, then gets the ultimate garnish of a lightly crisped, Cajun-spiced shrimp. So many textures and flavors to satisfy your taste buds!
Deviled eggs are always popular for Easter, but they’re also a crowd-pleasing addition to any gathering. With this combo of flavors, they’d be perfect for a Mardi Gras party or as a starter for a summer seafood boil.
Gather Your Ingredients
I’ve provided substitutions next to the key ingredient to help you tailor this recipe to your needs or personal taste.
- Large eggs – Below, I share my favorite method for ‘hard-boiled eggs’…steaming! The shells peel easily so you have beautiful, blemish-free eggs to present.
- Mayonnaise – A classic, tangy binder for deviled egg filling. If you like, substitute part of the mayo with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Unsalted butter – You’ll often find Cajun shrimp sautéed in butter or served with a buttery sauce. The addition of butter in this filling technically makes these ‘million-dollar deviled eggs.’
- Dijon mustard – I love the pungency of Dijon, but if you’d rather, good ol’ yellow mustard is just fine.
- Apple cider vinegar – The sweet-tart quality of ACV balances nicely against the Cajun seasoning. White wine vinegar or lemon juice are great substitutes (although lacking the sweet).
- Green bell pepper – Found in many Cajun dishes, and a part of the Holy Trinity, confetti-diced bell pepper adds a fresh, crisp texture to the filling. Feel free to use red bell pepper or celery.
- Cajun seasoning – This spice blend often contains onion, garlic, white and black pepper, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and thyme…among other things. The level of heat and salt will vary as well. I recommend a low or no-salt Cajun blend so you have more control. You can also add an extra pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if you’d like more heat.
- Avocado oil – This oil is great for high-heat cooking, so I use it anytime I’m grilling, roasting at a higher temperature, or sautéing anything on medium-high or more. A light olive oil or vegetable oil can be used instead.
- All purpose flour + cornmeal – These are combined with Cajun seasoning to create a dredge for the shrimp and give it a light crispy coating.
- Raw shrimp – Large shrimp are a nice size for topping each egg. Wild-caught fresh shrimp is best, but frozen is great, too. To shave a few minutes off your prep, look for shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined.
- Flat leaf parsley – Garnish the deviled eggs with whole or minced parsley for a bright pop of color. Use other fresh herbs, like chives or dill, if you prefer…or thinly sliced green onion.
Let’s Get Cooking
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you on your way.
Step 1. Steam + cool the eggs – Place a steamer basket in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add just enough water to touch the underside of the basket and bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner. Gently place the eggs in the basket in a single layer and put the lid on. Turn the burner back on to medium-high. Set a timer for 13 minutes. Remove the eggs to an ice bath and set a timer for 15 minutes.
Step 2. Mix the filling + fill the eggs – To make the filling, drain, then peel the eggs. Cut the eggs in half and place the egg yolks in a fine mesh strainer set over a mixing bowl. Using the back of a spatula or wooden spoon, press the yolks through the strainer. To the bowl, add mayonnaise, butter, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, green bell pepper and 1 tsp of the Cajun seasoning. Whip together with a whisk or handheld electric mixer. Taste and adjust vinegar or seasonings to suit your palate. Transfer the yolk mixture to a piping bag and fill egg whites.
Step 3. Season + cook the shrimp – Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil heats up, combine flour, cornmeal and 1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning in a bowl. Add the shrimp and toss until well coated. Shake the excess flour from the shrimp then pan fry for 60 to 90 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60 to 90 seconds on the other side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Immediately season with a pinch of Cajun seasoning.
Step 4. Assemble + garnish – Top each egg half with one of the shrimp and garnish with parsley.
Recipe Tips!
Hard-cooking the eggs – If you have a tried and true method for easy peel, hard boiled eggs, please continue using it. If you don’t have a steamer basket, simply put 1-inch of water in the bottom of the saucepan and set the eggs directly in the water.
Straining the yolks…really? – I can’t remember where I came across this method for ‘ricing’ the egg yolks through a strainer, but I think it’s brilliant! It makes for an airy and velvety filling every time. You do not have to use this method, it’s just the way I like. Instead, mash the yolks with a fork or put them straight into a food processor to blend with the other ingredients.
No piping bag? – Place the filling in a ziplock bag and snip off one corner with scissors if you don’t have a piping bag. Or, use a spoon to fill the egg whites.
Make-ahead tips – Steam, peel, halve the eggs and prepare the filling up to two days in advance, but store the eggs and filling separately. If serving the same day, go ahead and fill the eggs whites, then cover and refrigerate. Either way, the shrimp can be coated and cooked in under 5 minutes, so wait to do that step until you’re ready to serve.
Food safety – Both the cooked Cajun shrimp and deviled eggs can be left out at room temperature (we’re talking 70/72°F) no longer than two hours. To play it safe, add a layer of ice to a rimmed serving tray, then cover the ice with plastic wrap (practical) or big leafy lettuce leaves (prettier!). Arrange the eggs on top to keep them chilled.
Storing Leftovers
I’ve written the recipe for 6 eggs, or 12 halves. This should suffice for a small gathering, without having leftovers. For a larger gathering, you can always multiply the recipe to yield more (adjust the number in the recipe card below to make it easy).
However, if you do have a few stragglers and they haven’t been sitting out for more than 2 hours, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or so. If you’ve made them a couple days in advance, it might be wise to send them to the compost bin.
More Little Appetizers!
- Chesapeake Bay Mini Shrimp + Corn Rolls
- Crab Bruschetta
- Twice Cooked Potato Appetizers
- Grilled Shrimp + Polenta Starter
- Prosciutto + Parm Puff Pastry Rolls
Crispy Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or more, to taste
- 2 tablespoon green bell pepper, diced fine
- 4 teaspoon low/no-salt Cajun seasoning, divided, plus an extra pinch
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cornmeal
- 12 large shrimp, peel, devein, remove tails, pat dry
- flat leaf parsley, whole leaves or finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- To cook the eggs, place a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill it with water to the bottom of the basket and bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner. Gently place the eggs in the basket in a single layer and put the lid on. Turn the burner back on to medium-high. Set a timer for 13 minutes. Remove the eggs to an ice bath and set a timer for 15 minutes.
- To make the filling, drain, then peel the eggs. Cut the eggs in half and place the yolks in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Using the back of a spatula or wooden spoon, press the yolks through the strainer. To the bowl, add mayonnaise, butter, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, green bell pepper and 1 tsp of the Cajun seasoning. Whip together with a whisk or handheld electric mixer. Taste and add more apple cider vinegar, or any other ingredient, to suit your palate. Transfer to a piping bag (or ziptop bag with the corner snipped off) and fill each egg. (The tip/opening should be large enough for the fine diced green pepper to exit.)
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- While the oil heats up, combine flour, cornmeal and 1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning in bowl. Add the shrimp and toss well.
- Working in batches if necessary, add shrimp to the skillet and pan fry for 60 to 90 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60 to 90 seconds on the other side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Immediately season with a pinch of Cajun seasoning.
- Top each egg half with one of the shrimp and garnish with parsley.
Notes
- Hard-cooking the eggs – If you don’t have a steamer basket, simply put 1-inch of water in the bottom of the saucepan and set the eggs directly in the water.
- Straining the yolks – You do not have to use this method. Instead, mash the yolks with a fork or put them straight into a food processor to blend with the other ingredients.
- Make-ahead tips – Steam, peel, halve the eggs and prepare the filling up to two days in advance, but store the eggs and filling separately. If serving the same day, go ahead and fill the eggs whites, then cover and refrigerate. Either way, wait to cook the shrimp until just before serving.
- Food safety – Both the cooked Cajun shrimp and deviled eggs can be left out at room temperature no longer than two hours. To play it safe, add a layer of ice to a rimmed serving tray, then cover the ice with plastic wrap or big leafy lettuce leaves Arrange the eggs on top to keep them chilled.
- Store leftovers – In an airtight container in the fridge for a day or so. If you’ve made them a couple days in advance, it might be wise to send them to the compost bin.
Nutrition
Pin for Later! Crispy Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs
Wow, this really raises the deviled egg game! It looks incredible, and I am sure fans of shrimp will love this idea. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Molly!