This Cajun Shrimp with Lemon Cream Pasta is easy enough for a weeknight dinner but elegant enough for a special occasion! The flavor combination is absolutely delicious!
For the record, dinner is my favorite meal of the day. But while I love good food, these days I don’t have a lot of time to cook. It seems like things should be slowing down for us with two kids in college and the last one driving. But as you may know from reading some of my past posts this fall, my husband and I bought a gym and things have been kind of hectic for the last six months or so.
So when I am able to find the time to make dinner, I not only want it to taste good, I want it to come together fast.
My son would tell you that the most frustrating thing about having a mom that is a food blogger is that the rest of the family often has to wait to eat until I’m done taking pictures or that they get stuck eating my experiments along the way. In the case of this Cajun Shrimp with Lemon Cream Pasta, they’ve been served a couple of rounds of “experiments.” My husband really liked the last version, but it wasn’t quite right to me. And when I’m not completely happy, I can’t let it go. So off I went on the next round of cooking.
I really like cream sauces, and I’m a big fan of Hood dairy products. Hood is actually one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States, and the number-one dairy brand in New England. You’ve heard me talk about them many times. Hood Cream is a premium, high quality cream that is trusted by both professional chefs and home cooks alike. Throughout the years I’ve tried many brands but I’ve always come back to Hood. I go through a lot of cream in my kitchen…I use it in everything from sauces to soups to desserts. Knowing that I can depend on them for great results in my recipes is what is most important to me.
So after a couple of trials on this Cajun Shrimp with Lemon Cream Pasta, I am thrilled to be finally sharing it with you.
CAJUN SHRIMP WITH LEMON CREAM PASTA
This is really quite an easy recipe, but it’s definitely elegant enough for a special occasion. My family loved it! Let’s get started cooking!
Peel the shrimp. I prefer to use jumbo shrimp if I can. Mix the raw shrimp with the cajun seasoning in a bowl until the shrimp is coated, then add the flour and toss it again until covered. Heat your butter and olive oil in a pan and add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Flip your shrimp after a minute or so and add your crushed garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the shrimp, along with the garlic and red pepper flakes, for about 2-3 minutes, until they turn pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add the white wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and allow it to reduce by half. Then add the chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook for another five minutes or so. Then start tempering the cream by adding a small amount of the hot liquid to it a little at a time. By tempering, you’re bringing the temperature of the cream and the white wine / chicken stock mixture closer together. When a hot liquid comes into contact with cream, it may curdle, so tempering helps avoid that. Once you’ve warmed up the cream by tempering, add it in to the pan slowly, stirring as you do so. Add the lemon juice as well.
Add the spinach leaves and cook until they’ve wilted. That should only take a few minutes. Then add the parmesan cheese little by little and stir until cheese melts. Add the shrimp back in to the sauce, along with the parsley and lemon zest, saving just a little of each for garnish. Remove from heat.
Don’t forget that you should be cooking your pasta while your sauce is cooking!
Pour the lemon cream sauce over pasta and toss to combine. Garnish with additional parsley and lemon zest.
Dinner is served!
Cajun Shrimp with Lemon Cream Pasta
This Cajun Shrimp with Lemon Cream Pasta is easy enough for weeknight dinners, but elegant enough for a special occasion!
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups Hood cream
- Zest from 1 lemon, plus 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 5 oz baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions
Instructions
Peel shrimp.
Mix shrimp with the cajun seasoning until the shrimp is coated, then add the flour and toss it again until covered.
Heat your butter and olive oil in a pan and add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Flip your shrimp after a minute or so and then add your crushed garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the shrimp, along with the garlic and red pepper flakes, in total for about 2-3 minutes, until they turn pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add the white wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and allow it to reduce by half. Then add the chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook for about five minutes or so.
Temper the cream by adding a small amount of the hot white wine / chicken broth mixture to it a little at a time. Once you've warmed up the cream by tempering, add it in to the pan slowly, stirring as you do so. Add the lemon juice.
Add the spinach leaves and cook until they've wilted. Then add the parmesan cheese little by little and stir until cheese melts. Add the shrimp back in to the sauce, along with the parsley and lemon zest, saving just a little of each for garnish.
While your sauce is cooking, cook your pasta according to package directions.
Serve cajun shrimp with lemon cream sauce over pasta. Garnish with the extra parsley and lemon zest.
Notes
You can add extra shrimp if you'd like, but for each pound of shrimp, you'll want to use a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and 2 tablespoons of flour. Fry the shrimp in batches in a single layer. If you like a more garlicky taste, you can add more crushed garlic as well.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1190Total Fat: 62gSaturated Fat: 35gCholesterol: 336mgSodium: 1288mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 48g
MORE CREAM RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY
- Crab Imperial Appetizer
- Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Bacon
- Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas
- Elegant Dinner Party Menu
Sherry
Tuesday 17th of July 2018
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
Susan @ Culinary Envy
Wednesday 11th of July 2018
I will take a bowl to go please! I wish...pinned
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Wednesday 11th of July 2018
Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party.
Chas
Wednesday 11th of July 2018
This looks delicious and I'll have to add it to our things to try this summer. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma's House We Go!
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook
Wednesday 11th of July 2018
This looks insanely good!! I love anything cajun. Thanks for sharing, Michelle. x