Cajun-Style Shrimp Alfredo

Name: Cajun-Style Shrimp Alfredo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: cajun
Ingredients: Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 3/4 teaspoon onion powder; 3/4 teaspoon ground sweet paprika; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder; 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (any size); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 celery stalks, diced into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 medium yellow onion, diced into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving; 2 tablespoons Creole mustard (or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard plus 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard); 1 pound fettuccine; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; Hot sauce, for serving

By Farideh Sadeghin

Published Feb. 7, 2024

Cajun-Style Shrimp Alfredo — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 5(392)
Comments: Read comments

Fettuccine Alfredo is an Italian classic. Its luscious sauce is traditionally created using only two primary ingredients: butter and Parmesan. When stirring a large quantity of cheese into pasta, the key to achieving a fully emulsified sauce — a creamy consistency — is making sure to save and utilize some of the pasta cooking water. This recipe gives the dish a Cajun spin by adding spiced shrimp, celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic and jalapeño, finishing it with a sharp hit of Creole mustard. If you can’t find Creole mustard, a mix of Dijon and whole-grain mustards works well.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾teaspoon garlic powder
¾teaspoon onion powder
¾teaspoon ground sweet paprika
¼teaspoon cayenne powder
1pound peeled and deveined shrimp (any size)
3tablespoons vegetable oil
6tablespoons unsalted butter
3celery stalks, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1medium yellow onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into ¼-inch pieces
3garlic cloves, minced
1jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced
1½cups heavy cream
¾cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2tablespoons Creole mustard (or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard plus 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard)
1pound fettuccine
2scallions, thinly sliced
Hot sauce, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Step 2
Mix 1 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne, then sprinkle all over the shrimp.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook the shrimp, flipping once, until golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
Step 4
Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then stir in the celery, onion and bell pepper; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook another 2 minutes.
Step 5
Stir in the cream, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened and reduced by a third, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cheese and the mustard and whisk until the cheese has melted.
Step 6
While the sauce simmers, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Step 7
To the empty pot, add the cooked pasta, the sauce, the shrimp, ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid and half of the scallions. Toss to combine, adjusting with the remaining pasta water to achieve a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 8
Divide among plates or bowls and sprinkle with the remaining scallions. Serve with more Parmesan and hot sauce, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5

392 user ratings

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Comments

Brooke McMurray1 year ago

I would add the shrimp to the sauce at the end of Step 5 and let it absorb the flavors of the sauce as it cooks. Then, off the heat, add cooked pasta and pasta water to combine. Cooking shrimp beforehand and then adding at the end tends to leave you with rubbery shrimp. For added flavor I would remove the shrimp tails and make a quick shrimp stock to add at the end along with or instead of the pasta water.

debbie1 year ago

I really loved this but thought it was unnecessarily hard. Shrimp shouldn’t be cooked at the beginning. I added mine after step 4 until they got to the right color. Then removed them and added the cream and cheese. It was really great and I ended up using all the reserved pasta water when I combined everything. Needed more hot sauce like crystal

Nicole1 year ago

Soo good! Only thing I did different was dust the shrimp lightly with flour (season flour with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika seasoning mentioned in the recipe). Would definitely make again.

Mary1 month ago

Recipe says 4 servings - easily feeds 6-8 - it is a full pound of pasta and a pound of shrimp! Delicious so I don’t mind leftovers!

Nikki1 month ago

Doubled recipe. Outstanding!

Charlie3 months ago

Perfect recipe. No notes. I was skeptical about adding mustard and hot sauce, but they're awesome. Mustard adds a little tang and the hot sauce functions as a necessary splash of acid/brightness. Chopping all the vegetables was the hardest part. Thanks for the great recipe!

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