If you ever tried the cajun shrimp pasta at Crave restaurant, you will fall in love madly with this recipe because it is way better, richer & creamier.

Don’t let the word “cajun” intimidate you; it is simply a mixture of herbs (nothing fancy) that when mixed together give an amazing earthy flavor with no one spice over powering the other.

A restaurant style dish that is prepared in less than 30 minutes & served at the comfort of your own dining table.

It’s one of those recipes that I promise you will please everyone even the most picky eaters.

P.S. Please toss the pasta with the sauce right before serving so that it doesnt become dry!

Ingredients:

• 1 pack spaghetti pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 350 gm shrimp peeled & deveined
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 red pepper very thinly sliced
• 1/2 green pepper very thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow pepper very thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 1/4 cups cream
• 3 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
• 1/3 cup parsley leaves chopped
• salt & pepper

Cajun Seasoning:

• 2 tsp paprika بابريكا
• 1 tsp onion powder بصل بودرة
• 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder توم بودرة
• 1 tsp oregano اوريجانو
• 1 tsp thyme زعتر
• 1/2 tsp pepper فلفل اسود

Directions:

• In a bowl, mix all the spices for the cajun seasoning. Set aside.
• Boil the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain & set aside. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta boiling water & set aside.
• Wash the shrimps & pat dry with tissue paper. Season the shrimps with 2 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning, sugar, lemon juice & salt.
• Heat a large pan over high heat until hot. Add 1 tbsp olive oil & sear the shrimps for 1-2 minutes on each side until they turn orange & get slightly caramelized. Remove & set aside.
• Add the remaining oil & cook the colored peppers & onion for about 3 minutes; tossing frequently until they are nicely charred at the edges. Add the rest of the cajun seasoning & toss with the veggies.
• Add the water to deglaze the pan; scrapping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the stuck bits. Keep boiling the water until it’s almost totally reduced; little water will be left at the bottom of the pan.
• Add the cream & once the mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to low & simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce slightly thickens.
• Stir in the parmesan cheese & parsley. Taste to adjust salt & pepper seasoning.
• Toss the pasta & shrimps with the sauce; adding pasta water to loosen the sauce if it got too thick (you might not need this step).
• Turn off heat. Sprinkle more cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• I use a measuring spoon in measuring the spices so if you are using regular tsp, make sure NOT to pile the spoon up high.
• Cut the veggies as thinly as possible so that you don’t have big veggie chunks.
• DON’T wash the pasta after boiling it; just drain it.
• Toss the pasta with the sauce right before serving so that it doesn’t become dry.