Cajun-Spiced Shrimp with White Bean, Fennel & Artichoke Ragout
Smoky shrimp over silky spring vegetable and bean ragout.
Daily recipe · March 25, 2026
A little about this dish
This dish borrows the soulful spice profile of Cajun cooking but keeps everything firmly Mediterranean: olive oil, plenty of herbs, legumes, seafood, and a bright lemon finish. Instead of a predictable blackened fish with rice, tender roasted shrimp are layered over a warm ragout of fennel, artichokes, tomatoes, and creamy white beans, then finished with a pistachio-herb dust for color and crunch. It feels early-spring seasonal, vibrant, and a little moody in the best way.
Ingredients (for 2)
- Large shrimp — 10 oz — peeled and deveined
- Cooked cannellini beans — 1 cup — drained
- Small fennel bulb — 1 — thinly sliced; fronds reserved
- Artichoke hearts packed in water — 1 cup — quartered and drained
- Cherry tomatoes — 1 cup — halved
- Small shallot — 1 — finely sliced
- Garlic cloves — 3 cloves — minced
- Lemon — 1 whole — zested and juiced separately
- Flat-leaf parsley — 1/2 cup — roughly chopped
- Unsalted pistachios — 2 tbsp — chopped
- Capers — 1 tbsp — drained
- Dried oregano — 1/2 tsp
- Smoked paprika — 1 tsp
- Sweet paprika — 1 tsp
- Ground cumin — 1/2 tsp
- Dried thyme — 1/2 tsp
- Aleppo pepper or chili flakes — 1/4 tsp
- Black pepper — 1/2 tsp — freshly ground
- Vegetable broth or water — 1/2 cup
- Extra-virgin olive oil — 3 tbsp — divided
- Kosher salt — 3/4 tsp
Preparation
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Step 1 — 🍤🌶️🥄Pat the shrimp dry. Toss with smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin, thyme, oregano, Aleppo pepper, half the black pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
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Step 2 — 🌿🍋🫒Chop the parsley. Mix half of it with 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Set aside for serving.
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Step 3 — 🧅🔥🥘Heat a wide skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the shallot and sliced fennel with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
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Step 4 — 🧄🍅🥬Add the garlic and capers and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, gently pressing some tomatoes to release their juices.
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Step 5 — 🫘🍋🥣Add the cannellini beans and vegetable broth or water. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the remaining parsley, then taste and adjust with the remaining kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
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Step 6 — 🍤🔥🍳Heat a second skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until just opaque and lightly charred.
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Step 7 — 🥜🌿✨Toast the pistachios in a dry pan for 1 minute if you like. Mix them with the reserved fennel fronds and a little of the remaining lemon zest.
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Step 8 — 🥣🍤🌿Spoon the warm bean and vegetable ragout into shallow bowls. Arrange the shrimp on top. Drizzle with the parsley oil and sprinkle with the pistachio-fennel topping.
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Step 9 — 🍋🍽️😋Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and serve right away.
A final fox tip
For an even deeper Cajun echo, add a tiny pinch of celery seed to the shrimp rub. If you want to make it heartier while staying Mediterranean, serve with a small side of farro or grilled whole-grain sourdough. For a vegetarian variation, replace the shrimp with thick slabs of roasted cauliflower rubbed in the same spice blend.