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Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

By April 1, 2010March 1st, 2014Food, Kitchen, Main Courses, Recipes

This meal is so easy I almost feel silly posting the recipe. But in case you were looking for an easy meal for the work week, or something special for a date night, this was spectacular, low-fat, and really fresh.

Ingredients

For the Blackened Shrimp:

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound fresh shrimp, deveined

For the alfredo:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces whole wheat fettuccine pasta

Ingredients

1. Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta. Boil for 7-8 minutes or until al denté and return to pot.

2. Preheat large sauté pan on high 1–2 minutes. Place butter and minced garlic in the pan and melt the butter to coat the pan. Once melted, add shrimp and remaining ingredients and stir to thoroughly coat with spices.

3. Arrange in pan so the shrimp is in a single layer. Cook for two minutes without turning to sear on side 1 before flipping and repeating with side 2. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. To make alfredo sauce: a.) Melt margarine in preheated (to high) sauté pan and stir in minced garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring occasionally. b.) In a bowl combine the 1 1/2 cups of fat free milk with 2 tablespoons of flour. Make sure the flour is thoroughly mixed into the milk. Add the parmesan cheese and stir again thoroughly.

c.) Add the milk/flour mixture to the sauce pan with the butter and garlic and add the remainder of the ingredients. d.) Cook over medium high heat until it just starts to boil, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. This should take about 5 minutes and the result should resemble the picture above.

5. Add blackened shrimp to sauce and pour over pasta. Top with additional parmesan or spices to taste.

Final Thoughts: The blackened shrimp were delightfully simple and flavorful. You could easily tip this recipe south and make cajun shrimp by varying the spice combinations and adding a  little cajun seasoning. The sharpness complimented the alfredo perfectly!

I’ve made several attempts at a good alfredo sauce over the past year and this one by far and away is the best. It’s light, a little sweet, and the hint of garlic just brings it full circle. I couldn’t taste the difference between it and heavier Alfredo sauces. This is a great base recipe that is just begging to be customized with different flavors. Vodka anyone?

6 Comments

  • Lauren says:

    Fantastic dish! I adore alfredo sauce, and can’t wait to try this lightened version.

  • kathy says:

    Thanks for this recipe. My husband will love this. 🙂

  • Mmmm. No reason for you to feel silly for posting this. I really appreciate it. I made this recipe for lunch today as most of the ingredients were already available in my pantry except for the fettuccine pasta that I immediately got from a grocery shop nearby. And you’re right, it was so easy to make and your step-by-step photos was really helful. This alfredo dish was a huge hit here at home that they even ask me to make some again tomorrow. Thanks!

  • 404momi says:

    This looks delicious! Will be making tonight 🙂

  • Joa n says:

    I wish there were some simple way to print this out like a little sign that says print. Thanks. The recipe looks great