Cajun shrimp and mushroom spaghetti

Rich and creamy, there’s no shortage of protein in this dish. And it’s so easy to make. If you need proof of just how easy, let me tell you that’s it’s my husband who cooked this pasta dish. He’s more of an eater than a cook, but he pulled this off beautifully.

Prep time and effort are cut down considerably is you use shelled and deveined shrimps. They’re often sold frozen so you have to thaw them first. Once thawed, it is a better practice to press the shrimps between stacks of paper towels to remove excess moisture. This makes it easier for the seasoning to stick to the shrimps.

Butter is melted in a pan and the seasoned shrimps go in. Over high heat, it only takes a short time to cook the shrimps. I say it so often but I don’t mind saying it again: overcooking shrimps is a bad idea. They are best when just cooked through.

The shrimps are scooped out, more butter goes into the pan, and it’s time for the mushrooms to soak up the buttery goodness. But it isn’t just the flavor of the butter that the mushrooms will absorb. They will also catch drippings from the shrimps including any Cajun seasoning left in the pan.

When the mushrooms are done, cream is poured in. It is the best time to create the perfect flavor balance at this point. Taste and adjust the seasonings before you toss in the noodles.

Dump the cooked pasta into the pan and toss to coat each strand of noodle with the creamy sauce. Add the cooked shrimps and continue tossing until heated through.

Cajun shrimp and mushroom spaghetti

Since we used shrimps that were already shelled and deveined, “400 grams” is the shelled weight. If using whole shrimps with heads and shells that you will discard, allot six to eight large shrimps, or eight to ten medium shrimps, per person.

We mix our own Cajun seasoning but store-bought is quite okay to use. Two to two-and-a-half tablespoons should be fine.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American Fusion

Keyword: Pasta, Shrimps, Spaghetti, Spicy

Servings: 4 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

• 400 grams shrimps

Cajun seasoning

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne powder chili powder may be substituted
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
• 3 teaspoons sea salt or 1 ½ teaspoons refined salt

To cook the dish

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 250 grams button mushrooms thinly sliced
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup cream
• 200 grams spaghetti cooked and drained
• parsley chopped

Instructions

• Mix the shrimps with all the ingredients for the Cajun seasoning.
• Melt two tablespoons butter in a heavy pan and cook the shrimps, stirring often, for about two minutes.
• Scoop out the shrimps and set aside.
• Heat the remaining butter in the pan.
• Brown the mushrooms slices with generous pinches of salt and pepper.
• Pour in the cream; sprinkle in salt and pepper.
• Toss in the cooked pasta.
• Set aside half of the shrimps for garnish and stir the rest into the pan.
• Divide the Cajun shrimp and mushroom spaghetti among four bowls.
• Garnish with the reserved shrimps and chopped parsley before serving.