Cajun Shrimp Orzo

This is such a great comforting seafood dish that you should make! The combination of the shrimp with the white wine and the orzo is everything you have been dreaming about. It is a simple recipe as long as you prep everything beforehand. I can’t stress this enough!

The typical shrimp orzo dish usually skips the bell pepper and celery and adds peas. I wanted to give it a Cajun kick by adding the trilogy: onion, bell pepper, and celery! These three veggies are used in almost every single Cajun dish. You can skip the bell pepper and celery if you are not a fan.

What is orzo?

Orzo is literally rice shaped pasta. It has a nice chewy texture and it is so great for one pot dinners like this one.

What kind of shrimp should I use?

I used a large shrimp, because I’m lazy and I hate skinning and deveining! You can use medium or large – as long as it’s about a pound. I usually like leaving the tail on because the skins give the dish a nice flavor.

Combine the shrimp, olive oil, parsley, and lemon juice into a bowl and stir. Marinate for 15 minutes.

In a large pot over medium high heat, add butter and wait for it to shimmer. Add the celery stalks, bell pepper and onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and wait until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in the orzo and toss to coat, stirring frequently until orzo is lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pot by adding the white wine. Keep cooking on medium-high heat, until the wine has cooked off. Pour in the chicken broth, tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the orzo is tender and firm to the bite, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the marinated shrimp to the pot, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the shrimp is pink and opaque.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon slices if you please.