PREPARE: Firstly, combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and marinate raw shrimp for at least 15 minutes. You can marinate for up to 24 hours.

You can easily adjust the level of hotness in this dish by adding more or less cayenne pepper, to make sure you can enjoy all the scrumptious flavor while still feeling the heat.

INGREDIENTS

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for spicy garlic shrimp, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

You may have all of these easy shrimp ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.

• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• Brown Sugar: Light brown or dark brown sugar work well in this recipe. They balance out the tanginess and acidity of the soy sauce.
• Olive Oil
• Whole Grain Mustard Powder
• Paprika
• Cayenne Pepper
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Thyme
• Onion Powder
• Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Garlic: You can mince it yourself or use minced garlic in the jar.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter.
• Shrimp: Fresh is best but you can use frozen raw deveined shrimp with stems. Just thaw completely and pat dry.
• Green Onions

INSTRUCTIONS

This section shows how to cook easy cajun shrimp in a skillet, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, nutritional information, to print the recipe or to have the recipe scaled to double or triple, see the recipe card below.

PREPARE: Combine all the ingredients, except butter and shrimp, and whisk together. Add to a skillet together with the butter over medium-high heat. Stir for 2 minutes. 

🔴 TIP: Do not overcook your shrimp. Allow the shrimp to cook, undisturbed, until the side on the skillet is turning pink and curling. Shrimp are cooked through when they are pink all over and curled up. If you overcook shrimp they will be tough and not as good.

SERVE: Serve with crusty bread, over rice or noodles and with a side of vegetables.

HOW TO MAKE CAJUN SHRIMP IN THE AIR FRYER

• Prepare the sauce according to the main instructions. Add shrimp to sauce and marinate for 15-30 minutes. 
• Spray air fryer basket/tray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place shrimp in a single layer on the air fryer basket.
• Cook for 8 minutes at 400°F. Do not turn over while cooking.

STORAGE TIPS

Refrigerate: Store leftover cajun shrimp in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Freeze shrimp in a freezer safe container or freezer bag for 10-12 months. We do not recommend refreezing cooked shrimp that was previously frozen raw.

Defrosting: Thaw cooked shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SHRIMP

Serve spicy shrimp over Instant Pot Jasmin Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, egg noodles or with a side of crusty white bread. Cajun shrimp also pairs really well with roasted or steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus or green beans.

We also love serving them with a crunchy and nutritious salad. Have you tried our Italian Salad, Raw Asparagus Salad or Andrea’s irresistible Greek Salad.

MORE SHRIMP RECIPES

If you love shrimp you’ll enjoy our yummy Shrimp Fettuccine or Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp. Have you tried Stef’s amazingly delicious Shrimp Skewers, Shrimp Ceviche or Shrimp Pad Thai?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking spicy shrimp.

---

Are you a lemon lover? Check out these 50 lemon recipes.

INGREDIENTS

You may have all of the ingredients for creamy lemon garlic shrimp fettuccine in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.

• Fettuccine: You can use fresh or dried fettuccine noodles. You can also substitute other long noodles if you don’t have fettuccine.
• Olive oil
• Butter: We’re using unsalted butter.
• Shrimp: We recommend using fresh shrimp for best results. If using frozen shrimp, thaw firsthand pat dry before cooking.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is best but you can used minced garlic in the jar.
• Red pepper flakes: This adds just a bit of heat but you can omit it if you prefer.
• Lemon: You’ll need a fresh lemon for the juice and zest.
• Salt & pepper: Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Flour
• Chicken broth
• Heavy cream
• Pesto: You can use store-bought pesto or make your own with Stef’s pesto recipe.
• Parmesan cheese: You can grate your own or purchase refrigerated, fresh-grated parmesan to save time.

INSTRUCTIONS

If you’d like to print this creamy shrimp fettuccine recipe, scroll down to the recipe card where you can print the recipe or have it scaled to double or triple. You’ll also find nutrition information.

🔴 TIP: Shrimp are perfectly cooked when they are pink and curl into a letter C shape. Shrimp become tough when overcooked.  

MAKE CREAM SAUCE: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same pan. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and saute 30 seconds. Add the flour to make a roux and whisk together for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, heavy cream and pesto. Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth. Turn heat to medium high. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Heat approximately 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened. Reduce heat to low. Add in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese until melted.

COMBINE: Add the shrimp with juices and pasta to the sauce. Stir until well coated in sauce. Season with additional salt, pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, fresh parsley and lemon juice.

STORAGE TIPS

Don’t throw out your leftovers! You can store them for later!

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Freeze: Due to the nature of the cream sauce, this does not freeze well after it’s been cooked.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CREAMY FETTUCCINE

Enjoy shrimp fettuccine with a simple salad, some roasted vegetables and some bread. Don’t forget the dessert!

MORE PASTA RECIPES

While we love creamy lemon garlic shrimp fettuccine, we also love some of these other recipes and think you will as well.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

LEMON GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP INGREDIENTS

You may have all of the ingredients for lemon garlic butter shrimp in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.

• Butter: Use unsalted butter.
• Minced garlic: You can mince it yourself or use minced garlic in the jar.
• Shrimp: Fresh is best but you can use frozen raw deveined shrimp with stems. Just thaw completely and pat dry.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are a must for this dish.
• Salt & pepper: Fresh-ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste. You can also add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
• Parsley: We use chopped fresh parsley, but dried parsley is ok in a pinch.
• Lemon zest
• Water

Here are 50 sweet lemon recipes to help you keep things zesty.

INSTRUCTIONS

If you’d like to print this recipe, scroll down to the recipe card where you can print the recipe or have it scaled to double or triple. You’ll also find nutrition information.

GARNISH & SERVE: Serve with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

STORAGE TIPS

Refrigerate: Store shrimp in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.

Freeze: Freeze shrimp in airtight containers, heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrapped tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil for 10-12 months. We do not recommend refreezing cooked shrimp that was previously frozen raw.

Defrosting: Thaw cooked shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SHRIMP

We recommend serving a couple vegetables and a starch with your shrimp. Consider a crusty Garlic Bread or Garlic Knots, Easy cheesy garlic rolls or noodles or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.

MORE LEMON GARLIC RECIPES

Love garlic butter?? Try these other delicious recipes:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SHRIMP