This recipe is a beloved family recipe that I was lucky enough to get my hands on in a family recipe book from my mother-in-law (greatest gift ever). Originally dubbed “Spicy Baked Shrimp” the below recipe is a stovetop adaption that attempts to enhance the flavors a bit.
If you want to follow the original recipe (which is admittedly easier and still insanely delicious), see the handwritten recipe from my mother-in-law below.
One massively important note here, as we need to discuss food safety. I have always thought marinades that are just dumped down the drain are a disappointing and sad ending for that beautiful flavor-packed liquid. However, when you are marinating raw meat the marinade becomes contaminated with the bacteria on the meat, and must be properly cooked to use.
In the original recipe from my mother in law, the marinade is baked in a hot oven – in this stovetop variation, the sauce MUST be boiled for at least 5 minutes to be safe. Luckily, we are reducing the sauce by doing this anyways, but if it scares you too bad, make a fresh batch for the sauce.
Lemon cajun shrimp pasta
Course: Main, pastaDifficulty: Easy2-3
servings10
minutes20
minutes1
hour1
hour30
minutesSupremely flavorful spicy lemon shrimp pasta.
Ingredients
1/2 C olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more for serving
2 Tbsp cajun seasoning
Big pinch cayenne – adjust to taste
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove
Splash of white wine
Knob of butter
1 – 1 1/12 lbs cleaned raw shrimp, shells on*
9oz fresh linguine**
Directions
- Combine the parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, spices, honey, and soy sauce in a 8×8 or 9×13 dish, or large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. (don’t go much longer of the shrimp will start to break down)
- Add butter to a large saucepan or dutch oven and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add in a few Tbsp of marinade from dish and add shrimp in batches, cooking until nicely colored and lightly seared, 1-2 min per side. Transfer to a plate a repeat until all shrimp are cooked.
- Meanwhile, set a pot of water to boil and salt. When all the shrimp are cooked, add a splash of the white wine and use to scrape up any fond/browned bits stuck to the pan. Cook until liquid is reduce by more than half.
- Add in remaining marinade and bring to a boil***. Let boil a minute, and add shrimp back in and reduce temp. Cover and cook until shrimp are cooked through and fully opaque, 5 minutes or so. Transfer shrimp to a clean plate.
Continue to cook, boiling and reducing your sauce while you cook your pasta to al dente. Add the pasta into your sauce, bringing some pasta water with you on the way. Add one final knob of butter (optional) and mix until combined and the sauce is mostly absorbed. Season with salt & pepper and more lemon.
Serve pasta immediately with shrimp, chopped parsley and a lemon wedge. Good with crusty bread.
Recipe Video
Notes
- *I prefer shells on because it adds more flavor, but feel free to remove the shells before cooking if you don’t want to deal with them
- **If you can find it, use fresh linguine. If you can’t dried is fine, but note the sauce will not soak up the same.
- ***Because we are re-using the marinade, it MUST be boiled at least 5 minutes to be safe. Ensure you do this or make a fresh batch of marinade for the sauce.
