Easy Blackened Shrimp Fried Rice in Twenty Minutes

Ah! First blog post of the New Year and I’m bringing you another meal that can be made in twenty minutes or less. As I was looking through my round up (that isn’t quite finished, but at the tail end), I realized I didn’t have any shrimp recipes. I personally love shrimp because of how easy it is to make and because of how versatile it is across different types of cuisines. This entire meal can be made in just 10 minutes. Honestly, the longest part is thawing out the shrimp and that just takes a few minutes.

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I LOVE this pan. I can’t speak highly enough the quality of this pan. Everyone needs one. I stumbled upon this pan during the the Fall of 2020 because a lot of fashion bloggers started posting about “THE PAN“. I was intrigued, but made a promise to myself to not be influenced to buy another piece of cookware.

I held strong for a solid month. Next thing you know I see THE PAN on the Today show. Then it was endorsed by food bloggers and then it went on sale. I didn’t stand a chance so I caved and bought THE PAN. 🙂 In fact, I bought two. One was for my mom as a Christmas gift. I got the Steam color and she got the Charcoal. I love all of the color offerings, but since I photograph all kinds of foods, varying in color, I stuck with a neutral.

You might be asking yourself “what is the hype around the pan?” — I had that same question.

This is the non stickiest, stick, stick pan I have ever used. It is called “The Always Pan” and is made by a company called Our Place. It comes with a steam basket and a wooden spatula. If you look closely at my photos, there is a little nodule on the handle of the pan — that feature was created so the spatula can rest on the pan and not the counter. BRILLIANT!

I have been using my pan non stop since it showed up on my door step. I was officially convinced when I made a Keto omelette. Check out my PAN highlight on @rightbackspatula on Instagram to see the whole process.

Morale of the story… I don’t tell you that you NEED many things, but everyone needs one of these pans. They are currently 20% off with CODE: BYE2020.

Okay let’s jump into the goodness of this recipe.

I always keep a bag of this Trader Joe’s frozen vegetable fried rice in my freezer. It comes in handy on days like today where I don’t really feel like cooking an entire meal, but I want to eat a meal. Make sense?

The rice is only $ 2.29 per bag and easily provides 3 servings. Carbs are great and all, but I like to dress up my fried rice a bit. You can add any type of protein and it would be delicious. Here are some ideas:

• jalapeño chicken sausages
• chicken
• eggs
• shrimp
• steak
• tofu (although I don’t care for tofu and never cook with it in my kitchen)
• combo of any of the above

In this recipe, I used both eggs and frozen shrimp — Three scrambled eggs to be exact! I didn’t weigh the shrimp, but I probably used a half pound.

What type of shrimp should I use?

For this recipe, I used frozen raw, shell-off, deveined, and peeled shrimp. Along with the fried rice, I keep a bag of this in my freezer at all times. It’s great for recipes like this fried rice, but could also be used for tacos, pasta, or many one-skillet meals.

What type of Blackening seasoning should I use?

In case you’re never tried blackening seasoning, it is a mixture of chili powder, peppers, other spices and herbs. It’s a low calorie option to add extra flavor. Blackening or Blackened is a method used for Cajun foods to darken food using a spice mixture in a hot pan such as a cast iron skillet.

I used Ashman House Bayou Blackening Seasoning, but any Creole or Cajun seasoning blend will create a similar flavor. I got the Bayou Blackening Seasoning as a gift, but it is available to purchase on Amazon.

Another option is to make your own blackening seasoning at home to store in an old spice jar. A great seasoning recipe is this one from AllRecipes.

Other ways to use blackened seasoning is on any type of fish, chicken, or ribs.

Tips for making this Blackened Shrimp Fried Rice:

1. Peeled, deveined, raw shrimp is best. If you have fresh, that would be delicious, but it’s the middle of winter in Ohio so frozen works just as well. Thaw out under cold water and pat dry before coating in seasoning.
2. If you have a cast iron skillet readily available, use that to make your blackened shrimp. I use my smaller 8″ cast iron skillet, which is available on Amazon.
3. Use avocado oil to heat up the rice instead of canola oil or olive oil.
4. I didn’t use any additional liquid to this version of the fried rice, but sometimes I add coconut aminos for a traditional fried rice.

Blackened Shrimp Fried Rice

Adding a twist (and some spice) to traditional shrimp fried rice. Made with Bayou blackening seasoning, this Blackened Shrimp Fried Rice comes together in less than twenty minutes and is packed full of flavor.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Course Dinner, lunch

Equipment

• non stick pan
• Cast iron skillet [optional]

Ingredients

  

• ½ lb peeled, deveined, raw shrimp frozen or fresh
• 1-2 tbsp blackening seasoning
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 bag Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice
• 3 eggs scrambled
• green onions sliced for garnish

Instructions

 

• If using frozen shrimp, begin by thawing out shrimp under cold water. This should take 5 minutes in a colander. Pat shrimp dry. Generously coat shrimp in blackening seasoning.
• Grab 2 pans… Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet and 1 tbsp avocado oil in a cast iron skillet. Add more oil if needed while cooking shirmp.
• Pour the frozen vegetable fried rice into the non stick skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes until heated through.
• While the rice is cooking, cook the shrimp in the cast iron skillet 1-2 minutes on each side depending on the size shrimp. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Make a crater in the rice. Scramble 3 eggs and pour into the crater. Using a spatula, scramble eggs in the middle of the pan until fully cook. Gently stir into the rest of the rice.
• Transfer the shrimp to the rice. Add sliced green onions to garnish and serve!

Keyword 20 minute meal, blackened, fried rice, seafood, shrimp, trader joes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I’d love to hear from you once you get the chance to make this recipe. Leave a comment below with your review or any modifications you made! And don’t forget to tag @rightbackspatula on Instagram if you take any pictures!