Baby, some recipes don’t need fancy. They need butter, shrimp, and beans.
Nana found this Shrimp and Lima Beans in another cajun church cookbook. No trinity. No roux for 30 minutes. Just butter, flour, onion, and a big pot.
Pawpaw calls these “butter beans,” not lima beans. He said “Tee, if you call ‘em lima beans, I ain’t eatin’.” So Nana calls ‘em butter beans and Pawpaw eats 2 bowls.
This is stick-to-your-ribs food. The kind you make when shrimp are on sale and the garden gave you beans, or when you open 4 cans from the pantry. Dry, frozen, fresh, or canned – Nana’s got you. 2 lbs shrimp. Done in 1 hour. Serve over rice and watch it disappear.
Let's make'em.
Why Nana Loves Shrimp & Butter Beans
`1. Pantry + Freezer Meal: 4 cans of butter beans + 2 lbs frozen shrimp = supper. No store run.*
`2. No roux stress: Butter + flour thicken it in 10 minutes. Weeknight friendly.
`3. Kitchen Bouquet = MawMaw Judy's flavor secret: That dark brown color comes from 1 tsp. Optional, but Nana never omits.
`4. Feeds 8: Church recipe math. Halve it for 4, but Nana freezes leftovers. Tastes better Day 2.
`5. Forgiving: Dry beans? Frozen beans? Fresh from garden? All work. Nana tells you how:
Nana’s Shrimp and Butter Beans Recipe
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 50 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 5 minutes
YIELD: Serves 6-8 over rice
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, chopped – Gulf shrimp, 41/50 count
- 4 (15 oz) cans butter beans/lima beans, drained – OR 1 lb dry beans, cooked OR 2 lbs frozen
- 2 Tbsp butter – real butter, not margarine
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce – optional but Nana says don’t skip
- 1 tsp salt – plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup water or shrimp stock – plus more if needed
- Hot cooked rice, for serving
- Hot French bread, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS – NANA’S WAY:
Step 1: Shrimp First – Build Flavor
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in this heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 lbs chopped raw shrimp. Simmer 10 minutes till pink. Shrimp makes its own broth. Don’t drain it. That’s flavor.
Step 2: Thicken It Up
Add 1 chopped onion to pot. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp flour over everything. Stir and cook 10 minutes. Flour cooks out, gravy starts. Don’t let it burn. Low and slow.
Step 3: Beans + Season – The Magic
Add 4 cans drained butter beans. Pour in 1 cup water or shrimp stock. Add 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne. Stir gentle. Bring to a bubble.
Step 4: Simmer Low
Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir every 10 min. If too thick, add 1/2 cup warm water. If too thin, uncover last 10 min. Beans should be tender, gravy creamy brown, shrimp throughout.
Step 5: Taste + Serve
Taste for salt and pepper. Add more cayenne if Pawpaw’s watching. Serve hot over white rice. French bread for sopping. Salad on side.
Nana’s Bean Swap – Dry, Frozen, or Fresh
Canned – 4 cans
Drain + rinse. Add at Step 3.
Fastest.
Frozen – 2 lbs
No thaw needed. Add at Step 3. Add 10 min cook time.
Nana’s summer garden favorite.
Dry – 1 lb
Nana uses only Camellia Dry Beans
Soak overnight. Boil 1 hour till tender first. Then add at Step 3.
Old-school. Best flavor. Save bean water for Step 3.
Fresh – 2 lbs shelled
Boil 20 min till tender first. Then add at Step 3.
Farmers market season. Sweetest.
Nana’s Rule: If using dry or fresh, you cook ‘em first. Don’t put hard beans in with shrimp. Shrimp cooks in 20 min. Beans need 1 hour.
What Nana Serves With Shrimp & Butter Beans
*1. Rice:* Always. White long grain. 1/2 cup per bowl, then ladle beans over.*
2. Hot French Bread: Pistolettes or Leidenheimer. Butter it. Sopping is mandatory.
*3. Combination Salad:* Iceberg, tomatoes, cucumber, Thousand Island.
4. Chopped Green Onions: Sprinkle on top. Fresh bite cuts the rich.
`5. Pepper Vinegar: Aunt Joyce’s pepper sauce (or Trappey's in a pinch) on the side. Pawpaw shakes it on everything.
*From Nana’s Kitchen:* Nana made it Tuesday with frozen shrimp and canned beans. Pawpaw ate 3 bowls and didn’t ask “where’s the roux?” That’s a win.
This ain’t fancy Creole. This is Cajun Grandma food. The kind that fed 9 kids and still had leftovers. Make it once. You’ll keep it forever.
`Tell Nana: Team Butter Beans or Team Lima Beans? You put Kitchen Bouquet in yours? Tag @NanaTeesCajunHome – Nana wants to see your bowl!
*Shop Nana’s Bean Pot Kit:*
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