Cajun Shrimp Rice Bowl
Fajita-pan sizzle and buttery Cajun shrimp — the takeout bowl, rebuilt lean.
Gulf-Coast Lore
Blackened shrimp, charred peppers and onions, a slick of Cajun butter over rice — the kind of bowl you'd pay $16 for at a counter and still leave hungry. Rebuilt LCHP-style, the butter becomes a coat instead of a bath, the rice drops to the bowl standard, and the shrimp does what shrimp does best: pile on the protein for almost no fat. (Converted from an external meal-prep card — brand names stripped, numbers re-run.)
Portion Matrix (Cooked Cajun Butter Shrimp — bowl build above)
Cajun Shrimp Rice Bowl
Tap a portion size. Watch the numbers move. That’s the whole book.
Bowl standard: shrimp 6 oz/170g, rice 2 oz/57g • + Rice base: cooked rice ~74 cal / cauliflower ~15 cal per 2 oz • + Peppers & onion: ~55 cal per ½ cup
Macros: USDA FoodData Central (shrimp, cooked; peppers; onion) + label data (light butter, olive oil, Cajun seasoning) • cooked weights • Cajun butter included in the shrimp matrix.
The Numbers Up Front
Total Cooked Yield: ~6 oz / 170 g cooked shrimp + bowl components
Default Portion: 1 bowl — 6 oz / 170 g shrimp on the bowl standard
✂️ Trim Trim Trim
Nothing to trim on the shrimp — peeled and deveined, it's about as close to pure protein as food gets. The lever here is the sauce: restaurant Cajun butter is a full stick and a heavy pour of oil. One tablespoon of light butter plus a half tablespoon of olive oil carries the same peppery, glossy finish for a fraction of the fat. Rice at the 2 oz bowl standard keeps the base honest.
Ingredients
Use-what-you’ve-got friendly.
Sorted by dish, with the spices you probably already own kept separate.
Shrimp + Cajun Rub
- ◆6 oz / 170 g raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (frozen is fine — thaw in the bag)
- ◆1 tsp Cajun seasoning • ½ tsp garlic powder • ¼ tsp paprika • salt & pepper
The Bowl
- ◆2 oz / 57 g cooked rice (jasmine, white, or brown — use what you've got; cauliflower rice to drop carbs)
- ◆½ red bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, sliced
- ◆½ small onion, sliced
Cajun Butter
- ◆1 tbsp light butter
- ◆½ tbsp olive oil (split between the peppers and the shrimp)
- ◆the same Cajun rub — a pinch stirred into the butter at the end
Garnish
- ◆Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Pat the shrimp dry. Toss with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- 2
Heat ¼ tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add peppers and onion, cook 5–6 min stirring, until softened and lightly charred. Remove and set aside.
- 3
Add the remaining ¼ tbsp oil to the same skillet. Lay shrimp in a single layer, cook 2 min per side until pink and slightly charred. Don't overcook or they turn rubbery.
- 4
Lower heat to medium. Add the light butter, stir it through the Cajun bits left in the pan, toss the shrimp in it for 30 seconds.
- 5
Build: rice → peppers and onions on one side → Cajun shrimp on top → spoon the pan butter over everything → parsley.
🧠 Why This Works
Shrimp is the leanest way to hit big protein — 6 oz cooked is over 40 grams for barely any fat, so the whole calorie budget is free to spend on flavor. That's where the Cajun butter goes: one tablespoon of light butter and a half of oil, melted into the seasoning fond left in the pan, coats every piece without the restaurant flood. Peppers and onions add bulk and char for almost no calories, so the bowl eats big while the rice stays at 2 oz.
🌶️ Flavor Boosters
Extra cayenne or a splash of hot sauce in the butter • squeeze of fresh lemon at the end • pinch of smoked paprika • a few slices of pickled jalapeño • green onion
🔄 Use What You’ve Got
- —No shrimp? Chicken breast, tilapia, or scallops all take the Cajun butter the same way
- —Cauliflower rice for the lowest carbs; any rice you've got works — jasmine, white, or brown
- —No light butter? Regular butter works — just use a little less
- —Only have one color pepper? Use what's in the drawer — the char is the point, not the rainbow
📦 Meal Prep Notes
Prep ahead, cook fresh. Cooked rice and cut peppers keep 3 days • Season the raw shrimp in the morning and it's a 10-minute job when you walk in • ⚠️ Don't cook the shrimp ahead. It comes out tender once. On the second heat it goes tight and rubbery, whatever you do to it — so keep it raw in the fridge and give it its two minutes when you're ready to eat.
🥗 BOWL BUILD (top-down)
1. Base: 2 oz / 57 g cooked rice (or cauliflower rice)
2. Sizzle: ½ cup charred peppers and onions
3. Protein: 6 oz / 170 g Cajun butter shrimp
4. Finish: the pan butter spooned over, fresh parsley
Full bowl (as built): ~417 cal • 45g protein • 14g fat • 30g carbs
📊 Before & After(per bowl)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter-Style Cajun Shrimp Bowl (full butter, 1.5 cups rice) | 720 | 42g | 30g | 78g |
| ⭐ Cajun Shrimp Rice Bowl | 417 | 45g | 14g | 30g |
| You Saved / Gained | −303 cal | +3g protein | −16g fat | −48g carbs |
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