Blackened Shrimp Poboy Lettuce Wraps

If you've been following Castellon's Kitchen on Facebook, you'll know that I'm growing pumpkins this year in my backyard and I'm really excited about them. I check their progress everyday and post any milestones. Yesterday, I posted that I finally saw two female pumpkin flowers. Pumpkins have male and female flowers on the same plant and Bees/insects are needed to transfer the pollen from the male to the female to make baby pumpkins. Very exciting stuff because there was a ton of male flowers, and up until yesterday, I had no female flowers. Finding my first two females was a proud 'Gardener mom' moment for me. However, I'm worrying too much. 
Last night, I had a dream that I woke up this morning and all the leaves were eaten by these fat, green caterpillars. I was so disappointed. And now as I type away this morning and look out my kitchen window, I'm watching two squirrels chase each other along the top of the property wall...My second thought after, "How cute.", was, "those cute furry things are going to eat my pumpkins when the fruit sets." 
I definitely need to chill out and let nature take it's course and not worry about those pumpkins so much. They will come in when they will, some will be eaten or won't ripen. If I get one pumpkin, I will be happy, but if I don't, I can always go to the pumpkin patch...

Here's a great recipe that came about from our Cajun themed Dinner Club this summer. I love Shrimp Poboy sandwiches and decided to do a version sans the roll. For those purists out there, you can always take the lettuce wrap and throw it on a roll with some spicy mayonnaise. But for those who like all the flavors of a Blackened Shrimp and the creamy spiciness of a crunchy coleslaw wrapped in a cool lettuce leaf, minus the carbohydrates from the bread, this is for you. Try them as a light, satisfying main dish or bring these to a party as an appetizer and wait for the compliments. They are super easy to prepare. The most difficult part is peeling the shrimp which is not hard really, just time consuming. It's a perfect dish for summer.

Blackened Shrimp Poboy Lettuce Wraps
Serves 8-10

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled
2-3 T Cajun Blackened seasoning
olive oil
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
Spicy Coleslaw, prepared
green onions, chopped

Spicy Coleslaw
5-6 cups shredded cabbage or 1 pkg coleslaw cabbage
1 cup Cajun Aioli Sauce, recipe below

Cajun Aioli Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
zest and juice of one lemon
1 T Dijon Mustard
4 cloves garlic
1 T Creole Seasoning
1 T Blackened Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peeled shrimp in a medium bowl and combine with oil and blackened seasoning. Toss to coat. Arrange shrimp on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turning shrimp about half way through cooking time. Set aside to cool. 

Prepare Cajun Aioli Sauce. Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl. Add shredded cabbage to Aioli sauce and combine. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors meld and for cabbage to soften a little. 

Spoon out some of the shrimp and place on lettuce leaves and top with spicy coleslaw and green onions. Serve. 


Another Shrimp recipe to try: Shrimp with Garlic Chili Cream Sauce