Cajun Shrimp Diane

Back in the 90s, Milestones restaurants had a dish on their menu called Cajun Shrimp Diane. It was creamy, a little spicy, full of mushrooms and shrimp, and served over cilantro rice. They took it off their menu sometime in the 2000s, so I was forced to try and recreate it from memory at home. I'm not sure if this would pass a side by side clone test, but it's a pretty delicious substitute if you don't have a time machine to take you back to the 90s. 

First, peel yourself some shrimp. This is a 340g bag of frozen 40 count shrimp. Use whatever your taste and budget prefer.

Next, we'll season the shrimp lightly before cooking. There will be more seasoning in the sauce, so don't put too much at this stage. This is Hy's Cajun Seasoning, but use whatever brand or homemade mix you want. Just be aware of how much salt and heat are in what you're using and adjust accordingly. 

This is about 1 teaspoon, sprinkled and mixed in with the shrimp.

Slice half a medium onion and 2 cups of mushrooms. I also minced 3 cloves of garlic, but I didn't get a picture. Get these ready to go. Once the shrimp start cooking, you'll need to throw the mushrooms in right away. 

Heat up a pan on medium-high. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. This is just to quickly saute the shrimp. 

When the pan is hot, add the shrimp in a single layer.

Stir and turn until shrimp are just cooked - when they curl up and are pink and opaque. Remove shrimp from pan but do not wash it. 

Once the shrimp are out, throw in the mushrooms. They take the longest to cook. 

When the mushrooms are almost done, like this, throw in the onions.

And cook until mushrooms and onions are softened. 

Throw on the garlic and about a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Stir in. 

Now stir in 1/4 cup of wine. Red? White? Both work. I prefer white, but red is what I had tonight, so red is what I used. Let it boil up and bubble. 

Then I forgot to take pictures for a few more steps. After the wine boils down, sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of flour and mix in. Add 3/4 cup of half and half or evaporated milk. Add water as necessary to get a thin sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Add 1 teaspoon of chicken boullion powder and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Now taste it. More Cajun seasoning? Salt? Lemon?

Once you've adjusted the seasoning, add back the cooked shrimp along with 3 sliced green onions. 

Stir well and heat just back to boiling. Remove from heat. 

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and/or lemon zest if you like.