Listen, I'm not going to lie to you guys, I am constantly thinking about pasta. Pasta, pasta, pasta. I just love it so much. I love it so much that as I'm writing this, I am thinking of new pasta recipe ideas. Brb, I need to take a break to write down my new ideas so I don't forget. Okay, I'm back.
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Speaking of ideas, this recipe is definitely one of my better ones. Just imagine a light bulb above my head, except instead of a light bulb, it's this recipe. What?! Anyway, the recipe is great because it's not your typical pasta dish, but it doesn't stray too far from the flavors that you already know and love.
Instead of red pepper flakes and lemon, we're doing Cajun seasoning and lime. Simple switches like that are what make this recipe exciting and fresh but still super easy to make! Since seafood pasta dishes are always my faves, I figured I'd go that route here.
You expect to see shrimp in a pasta dish, you see it all the time, but crab is a little more rare. I love crab for pasta because it's so flavorful and the way the lumps flake apart insures that every bite has some crab in it.
Canned lump crab is a bit on the expensive side but it's totally worth it! First of all, pasta in general, is really inexpensive so if you have to "splurge" for one ingredient, I say go for it! Secondly, there's always a lot of crab left over (It usually comes in 8 ounce cans and you'll only need half of that) so you'll get to make another meal! The obvious (and delicious) choice is to make crab cakes but I also like to use lump crab in salads, tacos, dip, or literally just make this pasta again!
Okay, gotta go! I've got some leftovers to get back to. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
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Cajun Spaghetti with Seafood
Ingredients
- 1 Pound spaghetti
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 Scallions white and light green parts, sliced
- Juice from ½ a lime plus more wedges for serving
- 1 Tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 2 Cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 Ounces lump crab meat
- ½ Pound large raw shrimp
- Fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti to 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain spaghetti, reserving one cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and add the white parts of the scallions, the peppers, Cajun seasoning, and the lime. Stir and cook until the peppers start to soften; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook for about 1 minute then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the crab and shrimp and cook until the shrimp are opaque; 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the sauce adding more Cajun seasoning or salt to taste.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Garnish with parsley, the remaining scallions and serve with lime wedges.
- Enjoy!
Is there a particular brand of Cajun seasoning that you would recommend? The recipe looks and sounds delicious! Can't wait to try it!
Tony Chachere's or Slap ya mama are great!