Cajun Shrimp And Tomato Cream Sauce over the pasta of your choice is easy to make and as spicy as you like it. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal.
This is one of those dishes that I happened to have all the ingredients and threw together. I liked it so much that I decided it needed to have its recipe on The Good Plate. It’s rich, garlicky, and spicy – all in one dish.
The Shrimp
You can use fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp. You can also use any size you want or that is available at your fishmonger. This would be a great presentation with large, butterflied prawns, but little shrimp will do just as well.
One of the reasons this recipe works is that the shrimp marinate for a few minutes with Mis’ Rubins Fish Magic. It’s a Cajun spice mix that gives a little heat and works beautifully in this recipe as well as my Smoked Salmon cream cheese recipe.
Shortcuts to Make it Quick
There are some shortcuts I use to make this Cajun Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce as easy as possible.
If you haven’t heard of roasted garlic base, you are in for a treat. It’s made by the folks at Better than Bullion, made from roasted garlic cloves, and gives you the flavor of roasted garlic without having to roast it yourself. The base is wonderful for garlic bread and anything else that calls for garlic. It’s one of the reasons this recipe is so simple – no having to mince garlic!
The other shortcut is *tomato paste in a tube. Have you ever bought a can of tomato paste, only needed a tablespoon, put it in the refrigerator, and had it become a science experiment before you could use it again? That won’t happen with tomato paste in a tube. It tastes better than canned tomato paste because it doesn’t contain citric acid. Tubed tomato paste may be a little more expensive, but if you are tired of throwing out science experiments, tomato paste in a tube is for you.
The third shortcut is using Shallots in Oil. These are shallots that you chop and cover with oil. They add excellent flavor to mushrooms. Shallots are in the onion family and taste like a cross between an onion and garlic.
What to Serve with Cajun Shimp and Tomato Cream Sauce
Since white wine is one of the ingredients, use the white wine you like and serve the rest with your meal. Some crusty French bread would be good for sopping up the sauce. A green salad would make a good accompaniment. This recipe serves from 4 to 6 people depending on whether you add a salad and/or bread.
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Cajun Shrimp And Tomato Cream Sauce
Equipment
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Ingredients
Prep Shrimp
Pasta
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shallots in Oil
Garnish
Instructions
- Mise en place
- 1 pound shrimp, 1 teaspoon Mis Rubins Fish MagicPeel, clean and devein the shrimp, Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with the Fish Magic and toss. Set aside while you prep the sauce.
- 8 oz Bow pasta, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 quarts waterBring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta. You can use the passive method if you wish.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon Shallots in OilWhile that is happening, melt the butter in a pan. Add the shallots in oil.
- 1 cup mushroomsSaute the mushrooms until they have slightly browned. Push the mushroom aside. If you are using the passive method for the pasta, stop here until the pasta is almost done.
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon garlic base, 1/4 cup white wineAdd the garlic base and tomato paste. Stir well to combine. Add half of the wine and stir.
- Add the shrimp and cook them in the sauce until they have turned pink and are beginning to curl.
- 1/2 tomato, 1/2 teaspoon cayenneAdd the chopped tomato. Add the cayenne, and the rest of the wine and stir all together.
- 1/2 cup cream, 1 teaspoon basil, 3 drops Tabasco sauceFinally, add the cream and dried basil and stir well. Taste for seasoning. If you like it a little hotter, add more cayenne or Tabasco.
- 2 basil leaves, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons parmesanDrain the pasta and put it in a pasta serving bowl. Put the sauce over the pasta, then sprinkle the shredded basil and parmesan and grind the black pepper on top. Serve and enjoy!