Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

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?