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Home / Recipes
20 minutes
4.58 from 294 votes
183 Comments

Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine

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  • 5431
by: Joanna Cismaru
10.03.20

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Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine with an incredibly simple creamy sauce and crispy cajun shrimp with a little hit of heat. This can all be on your dinner table in 20 minutes tops!

tongs holding fettuccine above a skillet full of shrimp and pasta

This recipe is really all I could think about today, it was a long work day and as the hours dragged on I began to crave something creamy, dreamy, carby, and filled with flavorful plump shrimp. Pretty specific craving huh? Luckily I had this one stored in the old brain bank and decided to take it out for a test drive.

And I’m so glad I did because this dish was stellar. Packed full of perfect cajun seasoning, which is simultaneously spicy, sweet, smokey, and complex. The perfectly cooked shrimp is crispy and plump, all swimming in a rich creamy sauce served up on twirl-able and slurp-able fettuccine.

What Does Cajun Mean

When we’re talking about food, Cajun is usually referring to a spice blend which originated from Acadians living in Louisiana. Dry Cajun spice blend is made of paprika, cayenne pepper, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

That’s where this beautiful spice comes into play, it will not only help form a beautiful crust on the shrimp, but it will also flavor our sauce. If you’ve never cooked with this spice, or at least never created a pasta dish using it, then I’m happy to introduce you to your new favorite meal. Perfect for a chilly night or any where you’d rather just curl up with a big bowl on the couch.

overhead of a plate of shrimp and fettuccine with a fork

Ingredients

  • Pasta – Fettuccine is what I chose to use today, but feel free to use any kind or shape you happen to have lying around.
  • Shrimp – Large, deveined and deshelled.
  • Seasoning – Cajun seasoning, you can pick it up at your local grocery store and is the flavor key for our entire dish.
  • Flour – We’re just using all purpose today to thicken up our sauce.
  • Butter and olive oil – To brown our shrimp in, it’s important to use both to achieve a brown butter flavor without burning it.
  • Liquids – We’re using both low sodium chicken broth and heavy cream. You can substitute a lighter cream if you’d like to cut the fat.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish – Fresh ground Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

How To Make Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine

  1. Cook the pasta: Cook fettuccine according to package instructions.
  2. Prepare the shrimp: Sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tbsp of cajun spice and toss well. Drizzle the flour over the shrimp and toss in a bowl to make sure each shrimp is covered in flour.
  3. Cook the shrimp: In a deep skillet add the butter and olive oil and heat over high heat. Add shrimp and cook on each side about 2 min until crisp. Remove shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
  4. Form the sauce: In the same skillet add chicken broth and heavy cream. Season with additional cajun spice if preferred and/or salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then add the Parmesan cheese and whisk. Add fettuccine and shrimp back to the pot and toss.
  5. Finish the dish: Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.

Choose The Right Cajun Seasoning

Try to buy a Cajun seasoning with no salt to avoid making this recipe to salty. If your seasoning does have salt then just add salt to taste, be sure to taste test regularly. To make your own Cajun seasoning use my recipe here.

How To Prep Your Shrimp

You’ll want to start at the small legs on the shrimp. Simply pull those off and the rest of the shell should start to release. Pull off the rest of the shell. To remove the vein along the top simply cut a slit with a small knife down the middle of the shrimp’s back before removing the black vein with the tip of your knife.

Can I Use Other Proteins?

You sure can! I like to add cubed up chicken breast to either pair alongside the shrimp or to replace it all together. If you’re really getting into the Creole spirit, feel free to add some spicy sliced up sausage to the dish.

overhead of a skillet filled with fettuccine and shrimp, topped with parmesan and parsley

Can This Shrimp Pasta Be Made In Advance?

You can absolutely make this cajun shrimp pasta in advance and as a matter of fact, the longer this sits, the better it will taste because the flavors will develop even better. However, do keep in mind that this pasta won’t be as creamy anymore as when you first make it because the fettuccine will absorb all the sauce.

If planning to make this ahead, another option would be to just make the sauce, and when ready to serve, cook the pasta and heat the sauce together with the pasta. This way it will taste fresh and it will still be super creamy and delicious.

Leftovers

Store this cajun shrimp pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 4-5 days, which makes it perfect for your weekly meal-prep!

Freezing

In an airtight container, this pasta will last 3-6 months in your freezer. I would freeze this in individual servings so that it will be easier to thaw. You can thaw this in the microwave, or covered in the oven at 350 F until the pasta is heated through. If you reheat in the oven, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce. Keeping it covered will help it from getting dry.

Craving More Shrimp? Try These Delicious Recipes:

  • Brazilian Shrimp Soup
  • Avocado Shrimp Salsa
  • Firecracker Shrimp
  • Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
  • Honey Garlic Shrimp
  • Shrimp Scampi
  • Garlic Butter Shrimp

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side view shot of tongs picking up linguine from a pot of crispy cajun shrimp fettuccine

Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine

4.58 from 294 votes
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine with an incredibly simple creamy sauce and crispy cajun shrimp with a little hit of heat. This can all be on your dinner table in 20 minutes tops!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce fettuccine
  • 1 pound large shrimp deshelled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Cook fettuccine according to package instructions.
  • Sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tbsp of cajun spice and toss well. Drizzle the flour over the shrimp and toss in a bowl to make sure each shrimp is covered in flour.
  • In a deep skillet add the butter and olive oil and heat over high heat. Add shrimp and cook on each side about 2 min until crisp. Remove shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
  • In the same skillet add chicken broth and heavy cream. Season with additional cajun spice if preferred and/or salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then add the Parmesan cheese and whisk. Add fettuccine and shrimp back to the pot and toss.
  • Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. Try to buy a cajun seasoning with no salt to avoid making this recipe to salty.
  2. You can use cubed chicken for this recipe instead of shrimp.
  3. Store this pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 4-5 days, which makes it perfect for your weekly meal-prep!
  4. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 688kcal (34%)Carbohydrates: 46g (15%)Protein: 37g (74%)Fat: 38g (58%)Saturated Fat: 20g (125%)Cholesterol: 438mg (146%)Sodium: 1383mg (60%)Potassium: 370mg (11%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 2100IU (42%)Vitamin C: 10.4mg (13%)Calcium: 378mg (38%)Iron: 4.3mg (24%)
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:American
Keyword:cajun food, fettuccine, shrimp
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
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Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Anne Kelley says

    December 26, 2021 at 8:45 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night and loved it!! The only variance from your recipe was besides cajun seasoning, I added blackening seasoning as well. I cooked in a black iron skillet so it browned well and gave the dish an additional flavor to enjoy. Thanks for sharing your recipe and Happy Holidays!!

    Reply
  2. Becky says

    February 25, 2021 at 12:37 am

    5 stars
    This was so yummy – especially loved the crispy breading for the shrimp! Such a simple and easy dinner. We paired it with salads and garlic bread on the side. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      February 25, 2021 at 9:47 am

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  3. Joanna says

    January 22, 2021 at 1:23 am

    5 stars
    That was amazing! I made my own cajun seasoning because I didn’t have any, and overall it was a quick delicious weekday lunch.

    Reply
  4. Josette Kool says

    August 8, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Hi Jo, and Hello Peeps who read this comment. This recipe is absolutely fabulous. I made it for dinner and my husband was put in a totally loving mood after eating it, thinking that I made it up. Jo, you made my husband go from grouchy to appreciative with this tasty meal. I couldn’t tell him that it was someone else’s recipe, so thanks so much for renewing our marriage. This dish is fabulous and I love that I can add as much Cajun spice as needed as I like a light touch and he likes a little more spice. You are amazing!!!!

    Reply
    • jo says

      August 8, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      Josette, you’ve made my day!

      Reply
  5. Joy says

    July 13, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe!! I did let the sauce simmer for an extra 10 minutes to make it thicker. Otherwise, it was an instant hit for dinner 🙂

    Reply
  6. RoxAna Covarrubias says

    June 27, 2020 at 10:00 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I may have added garlic & extra crushed red peppers to add more spice. It was bomb!

    Reply
  7. Katelyn T. says

    June 18, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    5 stars
    This is hands down the best alfredo my husband and I have tried! Thanks for an awesome dinner night. Super easy and quick, followed the directions to a tee. Highly recommend 👌

    Reply
  8. Kel says

    May 4, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    5 stars
    Great and easy to make. This helped spice up my cooking at the house instead of serving the usual dishes everyone is used to.

    Reply
  9. Tiera says

    February 26, 2020 at 5:39 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! It was really easy to follow the directions and it’s enough to serve atleast 4 people. I will definitely be making this dish more often.

    Reply
  10. Dale says

    December 19, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    4 stars
    Very good recipe but you need to simmer the sauce for an additional 8 to 10 minutes to reduce it, and thicken it, or you end up with a watery sauce.

    Reply
    • Katelyn T says

      June 18, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      I thought my sauce was too watery at first, but i simmered for 5ish minutes, mixing everything together, then let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. The sauce thickened perfectly.

      Reply
  11. Lbas says

    December 8, 2019 at 9:31 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing!!! Put it in my cook book it’s a keeper. Jo you make amazing recipes. As a mom of 4 little ones I appreciate how easy the recipes always are. Thanks again.

    Reply
  12. Rae Cuffee says

    October 24, 2019 at 11:04 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe! Can’t wait to try with chicken! I’m thinking a cajun jambalaya pasta!

    Reply
  13. Jeanette Lyden says

    September 25, 2019 at 11:17 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious. I doubled both the fettuccine and shrimp so I increased the cajun seasoning I made my own) to one and half tablespoons, the flour to three tablespoons, an extra tablespoon of butter and the broth and cream to a cup and a half and the parmesan to 3/4 of a cup. Came out great.

    Reply
  14. ADESHA says

    September 16, 2019 at 6:23 pm

    My friend recommended this recipe and it was good..
    I made mine a little thin though..
    I think I added too much heavy cream or chicken broth..
    but it still came out great..

    Reply
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Joanna Cismaru

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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