David's Hot and Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Pasta

By drbabs • January 25, 2011 • 4 Comments

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Author Notes: There's a little town on the Florida Panhandle called Blue Mountain Beach, and every summer my family (18 of us!) rents a big house there. We all take turns making dinner. My brother-in-law David is a great cook, and this recipe is his specialty.

The recipe calls for Cajun seasoning. If you don't have it, you can easily make your own by mixing together 2 tablespoons of salt, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika with 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, dried oregano and cayenne. You can adjust to your taste. Most commercial Cajun seasoning is excessively salty--this way you can control the salt. And Tony Chachere's comes in a no-salt version so you can add salt to taste as well.
- drbabs

Serves 4 (can be multiplied)

Shrimp and Marinade

2 pounds jumbo shrimp (10-15 or 16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

Put shrimp and all marinade ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag and let marinate for about an hour.
Place the shrimp on skewers so that they lay flat. Grill over a hot flame about 3 minutes per side till barely cooked. (They will continue to cook in the sauce and you don't want to overcook them. )

Pasta and Sauce

1/2 pound butter (yup, that's 2 sticks of butter)
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced
Cajun seasoning to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)

Cook pasta in salted boiling water for about 8 minutes or until just al dente.
Melt the butter and add all the other sauce ingredients. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Fold in the pasta, then add the cook shrimp. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. Bon Appetit!!!