🍤 Cajun Shrimp Scampi
A bold twist on classic scampi—juicy shrimp tossed in a garlicky butter sauce with Cajun spices, lemon, and a touch of heat. It’s fast, rich, and restaurant-level good.
🛒 Ingredients
- 300–500g shrimp, peeled and deveined Shrimp
- 200–250g pasta (spaghetti or linguine works best) Spaghetti
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1–2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional for extra heat)
- Juice of 1 lemon + a little zest
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or pasta water
- Salt & black pepper
- Fresh parsley (for garnish)
- Optional: 2 tbsp grated parmesan Parmesan cheese
🔥 Step 1: Cook the pasta
- Boil salted water.
- Cook pasta until al dente.
- Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
🍤 Step 2: Season and cook shrimp
- Pat shrimp dry.
- Toss with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil + 1 tbsp butter in a pan.
- Cook shrimp for 1–2 minutes per side until pink.
- Remove and set aside.
🧄 Step 3: Build the scampi sauce
- In the same pan, add remaining butter.
- Sauté garlic until fragrant (don’t brown it).
- Add chili flakes (optional).
- Pour in chicken broth or pasta water.
- Add lemon juice and stir.
🍝 Step 4: Combine everything
- Add cooked pasta into the sauce.
- Toss to coat well.
- Add shrimp back in.
- Stir gently and let everything heat together for 1–2 minutes.
🍽️ Step 5: Finish and serve
- Sprinkle parsley and optional parmesan.
- Add extra lemon juice if you like it brighter.
😋 Result
You get:
- Buttery garlic pasta
- Spicy Cajun-coated shrimp
- Bright lemony finish
- Slight creamy gloss from butter and starch
If you want, I can also make:
- 🧄 Creamy Cajun shrimp scampi (with heavy cream)
- 🌶️ Extra spicy Louisiana-style version
- 🍚 Cajun shrimp scampi rice bowl variation
