Shrimp and Kielbasa with Corn Sauté
This shrimp and kielbasa recipe with corn is the weeknight dinner that you want on repeat. It is sweet, savory, spicy, and deeply satisfying, and the best part is that it is ready in under 30 minutes. Crispy kielbasa, seared shrimp, and sweet corn come together with garlic, scallions, serrano pepper, and a squeeze of lime for the perfect bite. This is the meal you make when you want something genuinely special without a lot of effort.
If you’re looking another easy dish to make with your beautiful in season corn, try this corn and avocado salad recipe.
A Note from Teri on Corn with Shrimp and Kielbasa
This shrimp and kielbasa dish is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner with your family, or when friends come over! It’s so simple, super quick, yet so full of flavor. I am often one to gild the lily, but a recipe like this is one where less is more.
In this dish, when you saute the spicy kielbasa, you’re left with a bit of fat in the pan, that combines with extra virgin olive oil creates a Magic Elixir that infuses the shrimp and corn with fantastic flavor. Nothing is better than in-season corn right off the cob. Extracting the “milk”‘ from the fresh corn is what takes this dish over the top. Trust me, it’s worth the effort!
Even if you don’t have time for fresh corn, you can substitute with frozen corn and a bag of frozen shrimp. Then take it up a notch with spicy peppers! Use jalapeno, serrano or something hotter. The spicy peppers, garlic, kielbasa and olive oil make this dish amazing no matter what you have time for.
Ingredients and Variations
- Fresh corn – the star of this dish when corn is in season. Corn right off the cob is what makes this recipe extraordinary. Fresh corn has a sweetness and texture that frozen simply cannot replicate, but frozen is a perfectly good substitute when fresh isn’t available.
- Kielbasa sausage, peeled and cubed – The kielbasa not only adds a ton of flavor itself, but it also renders fat that becomes the cooking base for everything else
- Large shrimp, deveined, shell off tail on – Large shrimp hold up better in a hot pan than small ones. I like that it gives you a satisfying bite against the sweet corn.
- Old Bay Seasoning – this classic seasoning goes on the shrimp and adds some smokiness to your dish.
- Serrano pepper or jalapeño, finely chopped – the heat element for your meal. Serrano is a bit hotter, whereas jalapeño is a little milder. Use whichever you prefer.
- Garlic, finely chopped – the garlic builds the aromatics of the meal. It adds a depth of flavor to everything else.
- Kosher salt – I like to use Celtic sea salt®. Use your salt to season throughout and intensify all of the flavors in your dish.
- Extra virgin olive oil, divided – use the olive oil to cook the kielbasa, the shrimp, and the aromatics and corn. I prefer to add it at each stage to avoid burning.
- Scallions, chopped – scallions complete the flavor profile for your aromatics. They add a little sweetness to tie everything together.
- Fresh lime juice – a squeeze of lime at the end of the dish brings brightness and acidity and ties the whole dish together. Make sure to always use fresh lime!
If you are not a fan of shrimp, you can substitute cubed chicken.
How to Make Shrimp and Kielbasa with Corn Sauté
Step One: Prep Corn and Saute Sausage
Cut the corn kernels off the corn cob and place into a bowl. In another bowl, toss shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and salt. Set both aside.
You can peel the casing from the sausage or leave the sausage intact. Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and then slice into half moons. In a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, cook sausage in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until it’s brown and crispy on both sides, about about 7 minutes. Remove sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl, leaving any oil or rendered fat in the pan.
Step Two: Saute Shrimp and Finish Dish
Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Depending on how much oil or fat is in the pan add extra virgin olive oil and place the shrimp in the pan, cooking until they have a reddish hue, about 2 minutes on one side and 1 1/2 minutes on the other, being careful not to overcook your shrimp. The shrimp will be done when they are opaque in color and have curled to a “C” shape. If they begin to curl into “O” shapes, they are overcooked. When done, remove and set in the bowl with the sausage. Set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, if needed. Add the scallions, garlic, serrano, remaining teaspoon Old Bay, and salt, and stir everything to combine. Cook for 1 minute until the vegetables are a little wilted. Add the corn and the butter, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, add lime juice, stir again, and turn off heat. Add the shrimp and sausage, stir until combined. Top with the chopped basil, serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
I opted for a kielbasa for this recipe. It crisps up in the pan and adds a ton of flavor. You can also use a Spanish chorizo.
Yes! Fresh corn in season has a sweetness that frozen can’t replicate, but frozen corn cooked in kielbasa fat with garlic, serrano, and scallions is still delicious. If you use frozen, defrost it first and pat it dry so it sautés rather than steams in the pan.
Cubed chicken is a great substitute. For another seafood option, scallops are a luxurious alternative that cook quickly.
I love to turn leftovers into mini meals. You can put them in a jar in the fridge for 1-2 days and enjoy for a quick and delicious but filling snack!
Try These Other Weeknight Meals
If you make this Shrimp and Kielbasa with Corn Sauté recipe, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
Corn Sauté with Shrimp and Kielbasa
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels from about 4-5 cobs
- 1 pound of shrimp deveined and peeled
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning divided
- 8 ounces Kielbasa
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 scallions chopped
- 1 serrano pepper finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic pressed or grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice fresh
- 2 tablespoons basil finely chopped
Instructions
- Cut the corn kernels off the corn cob and place into a bowl. In another bowl, toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning and ½ teaspoon salt. Set both aside.
- You can peel the casing from the sausage (see cook’s note) or leave the sausage intact. Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and then slice into half moons. In a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, cook sausage in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until it’s brown and crispy on both sides, about about 7 minutes. Remove sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl, leaving any oil or rendered fat in the pan.
- Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Depending on how much oil or fat is in the pan add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and place the shrimp in the pan, cooking until they have a reddish hue, about 2 minutes on one side and 1 1/2 minutes on the other, being careful not to overcook your shrimp. The shrimp will be done when they are opaque in color and have curled to a “C” shape. If they begin to curl into “O” shapes, they are overcooked. When done, remove and set in the bowl with the sausage. Set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, if needed. Add the scallions, garlic, serrano, remaining teaspoon Old Bay, and salt, and stir everything to combine. Cook for 1 minute until the vegetables are a little wilted. Add the corn and the butter, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, add lime juice, stir again, and turn off heat. Add the shrimp and sausage, stir until combined. Top with the chopped basil, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If the casing is easy to peel off of the sausage, do so. If it becomes too much of a challenge, just skip it and cube the sausage.
- You can substitute cubes of chicken for the shrimp.
This looks fabulous AND doable. Love your recipes! I bought a shallow bowl at a thrift shop for my onions but I would love, love to have one of yours. We go through them quickly but I love pouring the leftover oil for my salad so the spouts are perfect. Thanks Teri 😋 @bigfamilykitchen9
I wondered if you would consider adding a tab amongst your recipes entitled “Let’s Go Lucy” for those of us just getting into this delicious cooking mode-
yes i’m going too
Thank you so much… We got started on that today it’ll take us a bit but we’re going to make that happen
I give away one a week so keep watching the stories and more selling more on Friday
That’s great! Thanks so much-I look forward to trying them all-
I can’t wait to see the results… Send me a picture on Instagram
can’t wait
I’m sure someone has already mentioned it, but that looks exactly like Maque Choux! It’s a Creole dish that comes from Louisiana. Did you get your inspiration from that?
actually I didn’t. But that’s what I love about cooking, there are so many versions of things and so many cultures using it. But I’m going to have to check it out. Thanks so much for saying something
where can I purchase this extra virgin olive oil?
Its soo tasty!!! I subbed prawn for chicken as we don’t like them but OMG it was good!!!
Pingback: Make the Most of Your Summer Corn - nocrumbsleft
I was wondering what type of “chorizo” that was that was…
Thought that you were cluing me into a secret society of new types of chorizo (which I adore). I ran to the recipe to see, kielbasa. All the flavors of latin america then kielbasa. Do you think chorizo would work or would it overpower the shrimp and corn? Think Im going to have to try!