Cajun Shrimp Alfredo

10/29/2018

This might be my new favourite pasta dish! If you're looking for a little bit of seafood, a little bit of smoky with an ultra creamy texture, this is what you need to make today!

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One morning last week I woke up after dreaming about this dish. Completely random as I hadn't been thinking about it and I don't think I saw it anywhere before drifting off to sleep the night before. But there it was as vivid as it is in front of us right now. So, I knew I had to make it pronto.

So I did, immediately, before I forgot about it all together. I know myself pretty well. If I don't act on things immediately they usually get filed in "Ain't ever gonna' happen!". Always.

So, I went to the kitchen to see what I had and lucky for me the only thing missing for my "dream" recipe was shrimp. And this was Friday morning which is the day I don't normally cook and my meal plan for that day is empty. And as I'm a pretty frugal shopper, shrimp weren't in the budget for the week. Yes, that's me all about the savings! But hey, the dream told me I had to get the shrimp....ha!

One missing ingredient later and I was on my way to my "new for now" favourite pasta recipe.

One of the things I love the most about creating recipes is the element of surprise. Which sometimes can be fantastic and other times, well, less so shall we say. It fun to stand there with just an image in your mind start with a blank slate. Now I know this recipe has most likely been done a gazillion times by other creatives, but this was a first for me. And luckily for me this time the around the surprise was a pretty darn tasty one.

Notes about the pasta:

Let's talk cooking timing for the dish. I know this is generally all stated in the recipe, but for new cooks it's nice to get a bit more information. I know when I started out, the more information the better. For all you seasoned cooks out there, you can just jump right down to the recipe.

Okay, I cooked the shrimp first and set them aside. Then in the same pan I did the bacon and then chopped that and set it aside. These two ingredients are quite fine to sit around for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

After I did that, I made the sauce and got the pasta going. Then, as you will see in the recipe below, put it all together. Easy peasy.

I gotta thank my dream for this delicious dinner. It was absolutely fantastic. There was nothing about it that I would change the next time around, as it was perfect just the way it was.

And as usual, pasta is best served fresh. But if you absolutely have to make this in advance and reheat it, don't do it in a microwave. Do it on the stove top and add a little bit more water and a bit of grated parmesan cheese to get it back to the creamy texture that it had as fresh. Okay, it won't be a great as fresh, but the next best thing.

Happy cooking friends and I hope you dream of food!

Cajun Shrimp Alfredo

Serves 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb/500 grams raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 Strips bacon
8 oz Tagliatelle
1 Cup/100 grams parmesan cheese, grated
1 Cup/240 ml cooking cream
2 Tablespoons plus 1 Teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon pepper
Fresh chopped basil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Ladles of reserved pasta water

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp and 2 tablespoons of the Cajun seasoning. Stir to coat and set aside.

In a large skillet set over high heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir for about 10 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the reserved skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook for a few minutes each side. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and roughly chop.

Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving about 2 ladles of the pasta water.

In a clean deep sided skillet set over medium heat, add the cooking cream until it bubbles, add pasta water, salt, pepper, remaining Cajun seasoning and fresh basil. Stir and let simmer for about a minute. Add the shrimp, bacon and cheese. Stir well. Add the pasta and butter and stir.

Top with extra parmesan and basil to serve if desired.

Click the downloadable link below to print recipe!