CAJUN SHRIMP SCAMPI – Healthy Recipes

A few Cajun culinary touches injects this shrimp scampi with elevated flavors and textures that feeds up to six and keeps perfectly in the fridge for multi-day munching.

PREPARATION TIME:

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Ingredients:

For the Seasoned Shrimp

2 pounds raw 16 to 20-count per pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon dried paprika
salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

For the Cajun Shrimp Scampi

1 pound long spaghetti noodles I use the Great Value or Barilla gluten free spaghetti
3 tablespoons butter or oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 stick butter, salted
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth Swanson is gluten free
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
additional salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions:

Season the shrimp with the lemon zest, paprika, and salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside.
Boil the gluten free spaghetti according to the package directions. When done drain and set aside.
While the pasta is boiling, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery to a large cast iron skillet, along with the butter or oil.
Cook the veggies over medium heat until browned.
When browned, add the garlic to the skillet, and cook for one additional minute.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir the veggies and garlic occassionally while the heat fully reduces, for at least 1 ½ minutes but up to 2 minutes. (This is an extremely important step, please see notes below or up in the Faqs section of the post.)
Add the stick of butter to the skillet, and let melt completely.
Pour the chicken broth, lemon juice, and chopped parsley into the pan, and stir until well combined.
Stir the seasoned shrimp into the skillet.
Cover the skillet partially, and cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the shrimp are opaque and a digital thermometer inserted into them reads at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the cooked spaghetti to the pan in batches, stirring the pasta completely into the sauce before adding more.
Serve immediately.

Notes:

Store the leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make sure that the shrimp temp up to at least 145 degrees F before serving.
You must turn down the heat for at least 90 seconds, but up to 2 minutes after your brown the garlic. Then keep the heat on medium-low throughout the duration of this recipe. This is extremely important. The butter will brown if you don’t, which ends up ruining the light, airy shrimp scampi test that you are going for in this recipe.
This post was originally published on this blog on August 24, 2016. It was updated, republished, and renamed on July 11, 2024.

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The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.

Nutrition: