Who doesn’t love spicy seafood? And as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who misses her mother’s cooking back home in the Philippines, I decided to try making it myself and recreate the flavor as best as I could.
Food somehow tastes different when it is cooked in the Philippines, perhaps because of the quality and freshness of the vegetables and meat. That is why I sometimes jokingly call my own cooking “trying hard.” Last week, I was seriously craving seafood, especially the kind served at Dampa Seafood Grill. You know the one I mean? They serve spicy seafood with Cajun sauce, and I absolutely love it! So, I started asking my friends how to make a similar sauce at home.
I found out that Carrefour, a popular supermarket in the UAE and other countries in the Middle East, sells a Cajun Spice seasoning from Ina Parman’s Kitchen. I bought one for AED 12, or around USD 3. It was actually worth the price because I only needed a small amount for the dish, which was enough to serve four people.
The Seafood I Bought
Here were the main ingredients I bought:
- Crab – 3 large pieces – AED 22 or USD 6
- Shrimp – 1 kilogram – AED 30 or USD 8
- Clams – 3/4 kilogram – AED 8 or USD 2
- Squid – 5 large pieces – AED 25 or USD 7
How I Cooked It
First, I boiled the crabs and clams. In a clean pan, I sautéed plenty of garlic and a little onion. We really love lots of garlic, especially when it gets slightly crispy!
Next, I added ketchup and sprinkled in the Cajun Spice I bought from the grocery store. You can also use tomato sauce, but I forgot to buy some that day. Thankfully, ketchup worked just fine and still gave the sauce a nice tomato flavor. Haha!
I also added some other seasonings, including salt, pepper, star anise, Knorr shrimp cubes, and MSG (monosodium glutamate). I’ve always preferred using MSG rather than Magic Sarap in my cooking.
After that, I added the shrimp and squid. I only cooked them briefly before adding the crabs and clams because I didn’t want to overcook the shrimp and squid. Overcooked seafood can become tough and rubbery when you chew it.
I mixed everything together and covered the pan for a while, allowing the seafood to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
A Little Bit of “Pacham” Cooking
I didn’t really measure the Cajun Spice precisely. I simply added enough until I could taste the seasoning in the sauce. I would say I used approximately one tablespoon.
That’s just how I cook sometimes—very “pacham”! I just estimate the ingredients and keep adjusting until the food tastes good. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes it’s a miss. Haha!
The Final Verdict
According to my very honest food critics—my husband and my sibling—the seafood was delicious and, according to them, tasted somewhat similar to the seafood we had enjoyed at Dampa. Their verdict? 8.5 out of 10! Haha!
Not bad for my first attempt, right? At least I can say it was a success! I’m definitely going to make this again, especially for a special occasion.
Now I’m getting hungry just writing about it! 😋
Other Ways to Use Cajun Spice
Cajun Spice can also be used to marinate different types of meat, such as pork, beef, or fish. I think it would also be interesting to experiment with it in other dishes.
Do you know other ways to use Cajun Spice? If you have any ideas or recipes, please let me know. I’d love to hear your suggestions—they would be very helpful for my next cooking experiment! 😊
Thanks for reading!
Rapsa! 😋
Who doesn’t love spicy seafood? And as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who misses her mother’s cooking back home in the Philippines, I decided to try making it myself and recreate the flavor as best as I could.
Food somehow tastes different when it is cooked in the Philippines, perhaps because of the quality and freshness of the vegetables and meat. That is why I sometimes jokingly call my own cooking “trying hard.” Last week, I was seriously craving seafood, especially the kind served at Dampa Seafood Grill. You know the one I mean? They serve spicy seafood with Cajun sauce, and I absolutely love it! So, I started asking my friends how to make a similar sauce at home.
I found out that Carrefour, a popular supermarket in the UAE and other countries in the Middle East, sells a Cajun Spice seasoning from Ina Parman’s Kitchen. I bought one for AED 12, or around USD 3. It was actually worth the price because I only needed a small amount for the dish, which was enough to serve four people.
The Seafood I Bought
Here were the main ingredients I bought:
- Crab – 3 large pieces – AED 22 or USD 6
- Shrimp – 1 kilogram – AED 30 or USD 8
- Clams – 3/4 kilogram – AED 8 or USD 2
- Squid – 5 large pieces – AED 25 or USD 7
How I Cooked It
First, I boiled the crabs and clams. In a clean pan, I sautéed plenty of garlic and a little onion. We really love lots of garlic, especially when it gets slightly crispy!
Next, I added ketchup and sprinkled in the Cajun Spice I bought from the grocery store. You can also use tomato sauce, but I forgot to buy some that day. Thankfully, ketchup worked just fine and still gave the sauce a nice tomato flavor. Haha!
I also added some other seasonings, including salt, pepper, star anise, Knorr shrimp cubes, and MSG (monosodium glutamate). I’ve always preferred using MSG rather than Magic Sarap in my cooking.
After that, I added the shrimp and squid. I only cooked them briefly before adding the crabs and clams because I didn’t want to overcook the shrimp and squid. Overcooked seafood can become tough and rubbery when you chew it.
I mixed everything together and covered the pan for a while, allowing the seafood to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
A Little Bit of “Pacham” Cooking
I didn’t really measure the Cajun Spice precisely. I simply added enough until I could taste the seasoning in the sauce. I would say I used approximately one tablespoon.
That’s just how I cook sometimes—very “pacham”! I just estimate the ingredients and keep adjusting until the food tastes good. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes it’s a miss. Haha!
The Final Verdict
According to my very honest food critics—my husband and my sibling—the seafood was delicious and, according to them, tasted somewhat similar to the seafood we had enjoyed at Dampa. Their verdict? 8.5 out of 10! Haha!
Not bad for my first attempt, right? At least I can say it was a success! I’m definitely going to make this again, especially for a special occasion.
Now I’m getting hungry just writing about it! 😋
Other Ways to Use Cajun Spice
Cajun Spice can also be used to marinate different types of meat, such as pork, beef, or fish. I think it would also be interesting to experiment with it in other dishes.
Do you know other ways to use Cajun Spice? If you have any ideas or recipes, please let me know. I’d love to hear your suggestions—they would be very helpful for my next cooking experiment! 😊
Thanks for reading!
Rapsa! 😋
Published: April 2020 · Updated: August 2026
