corn maque choux with cajun shrimp

I read about this dish a few weeks ago when one of my favorite healthy food bloggers traveled to New Orleans and ate Corn Maque Choux topped with Barbecued Salmon at Emeril’s restaurant NOLA.  I didn’t think much of it until she actually re-created the dish herself at home with shrimp and raved about it.  I love seafood, I love corn, and I love heavy cream so I obviously I needed to make this meal.  

The verdict?  SO good!  The maque choux and cajun shrimp recipes come from two separate sources, but they went together perfectly.  The spiciness of the shrimp and the creamy corn complemented each other beautifully, and served with some crusty bread to sop up the extra cream, this meal was a definite winner in my book!

adapted from epicurious and Emeril

2 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped white onion

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 bag frozen corn (3-4 cups), thawed, or 3-4 cups corn cut off the cob

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp Franks hot sauce, or any hot pepper sauce
1 tsp Emeril’s Essence, or homemade essence (note below)

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Kosher salt, to taste

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and saute until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the red bell pepper and saute 3 more minutes.  Add the corn and saute 2 minutes.  Add cream, thyme, hot pepper sauce, and Emeril’s Essence.  Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Lastly, mix in green onion, parsley, basil, and salt to taste.  

Note: if you don’t have Emeril’s Essence, he posts his recipe for it on this website

Cajun Shrimp
adapted from CopyKat Recipes

1 lb shrimp, deveined if needed (see note)
2 tbsp butter, melted
2-4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending how spicy you like it)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix together the melted butter and spices, then add the shrimp and toss to combine.  Place in 9×13 baking dish and bake for 10-15 minutes, until shrimp is completely cooked.

Note: I used frozen shrimp that were already cooked, so all I had to do was thaw them, mix them with the butter and spices, and heat them in oven.