Description
Cajun-spiced blackened shrimp cavatappi delivers bold Mediterranean-inspired flavors with creamy pasta and zesty seasonings. Spicy seafood and rich sauce combine for a restaurant-quality meal you can easily prepare at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) shrimp, raw, deveined, tail removed
- 8 oz (227 g) cavatappi noodles, cooked al dente
- 1 can (15 oz/425 g) sweet corn, drained
- 2 tbsps blackened seasoning
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- ¼ cup (57.5 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan cheese, grated
- Green onion, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Immerse cavatappi in a heavily salted boiling water bath, cooking for 8-9 minutes until reaching al dente perfection. Drain and set aside for subsequent assembly.
- Shrimp Seasoning: Lavishly coat raw shrimp with blackened spice blend, ensuring comprehensive and uniform coverage across each maritime morsel.
- Protein Searing: Melt butter in a capacious skillet over medium-high heat, creating a golden cooking landscape. Strategically place seasoned shrimp in a single layer, allowing caramelization and developing a rich exterior. Cook 4-6 minutes, flipping midway to guarantee thorough preparation. Transfer expertly seared shrimp to a separate vessel.
- Sauce Foundation: Reduce skillet temperature and introduce heavy cream. Simmer liquid while methodically extracting browned culinary essence from pan surface, intensifying underlying flavor dimensions.
- Sauce Refinement: Minimize heat, then integrate tomato paste, sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Whisk persistently until cheese dissolves, generating a luxuriously smooth sauce with complex flavor profile.
- Final Composition: Amalgamate cooked cavatappi, seared shrimp, and sweet corn kernels into the creamy amalgamation. Thoroughly toss, ensuring comprehensive sauce integration and flavor distribution.
- Presentation: Embellish with freshly sliced green onions, serving immediately to maintain optimal gustatory experience and textural integrity.
Notes
- Perfectly Season Shrimp: Ensure complete, even coverage of blackened seasoning for maximum flavor intensity and consistent spice distribution.
- Master Al Dente Pasta: Cook cavatappi precisely 8-9 minutes to maintain ideal texture, preventing overcooking that leads to mushy noodles.
- Control Skillet Temperature: Medium-high heat creates perfect caramelization for shrimp, while reducing temperature prevents sauce separation and burning.
- Layer Flavors Strategically: Scrape browned pan bits into cream sauce to develop rich, deep underlying taste profiles that elevate the entire dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 634
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 757 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 203 mg