Jalapeño Shrimp Alfredo
I’m such an alfredo girl. I absolutely love it – I am literally always craving it! It’s so easy to make at home too, you just need a couple ingredients! This Jalapeño Shrimp Alfredo gives those classic shrimp alfredo vibes, but with a spicy twist. Piled high with thinly sliced jalapeños, it gives a fresh crunch – with the perfect amount of spice. You can choose between very spicy, somewhere in the middle, and pretty mild by simply removing more or less of the seeds and pith. This recipe is perfect for all those fresh jalapeños you’ve got in the garden too! It’s unique and it’s still family friendly!
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Why are jalapeños the best option for a spicy alfredo?
When I was just out of high school, I worked at Olive Garden for a couple of years. Shrimp alfredo was my JAM, and I loved getting it spicy! The line cooks would make it in a variety of ways for me – sometimes with red pepper flakes, sometimes with cayenne pepper, and sometimes with hot sauce. My favorite way was with red pepper flakes! I liked the instant, constant heat that the crushed red chili could provide. Whenever I craved it, I would make it at home in a similar way and then finally, I decided to try it with fresh jalapeños!
We have so many ripening in the garden right now and the opportunities for these fierce little peppers are endless! The nice thing about using the jalapeño is they can be as spicy as you want. Your kids could have their plate with virtually no spice, just a few jalapeños with all seeds and membranes removed. Then your plate could be piled high with tons of thinly sliced jalapeños featuring ALL the seeds and membranes. The choice is yours!
Plus, the raw jalapeño introduces a fresh, vibrant, crunchy element to break up the creamy sauce and filling pasta. This was so dang good!
Did you know?
People often think jalapeños are spicy because of the seeds, but it’s actually the membrane (the white part) that holds all the heat! These peppers are also one of the only peppers that are regularly enjoyed in both green and red forms. If you leave a jalapeño pepper on the plant after it’s fully ripened, it’ll eventually turn red! The red jalapeño gives off a sweeter type of heat.
And chipotle peppers? Those are actually just jalapeño peppers that have gone red, then they get smoked and dried out. How wild! Like, who even tested and discovered this stuff?
What ingredients do I need?
For the jalapeño shrimp alfredo:
Fettuccine
Shrimp
Paprika
Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
For the alfredo sauce:
Butter
Shallot
Garlic
Heavy Cream
Italian Seasoning
Onion Powder
Nutmeg
Salt
Parmesan
Reserved Pasta Water
For serving:
Jalapeños
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Lemon Juice
Parsley
Parmesan
What equipment do I need?
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Large Skillet
- Stockpot
- Mandoline
- Cheese Grater
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Strainer
- Disposable Rubber Gloves
- Paper Towel
- Tongs
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
How do I make this spicy jalapeño shrimp alfredo?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first let’s prep all of our ingredients. Shred the parmesan cheese, mince the garlic, and finely dice the shallot. Wash and dry the jalapeños, then get out your rubber gloves.
Pro Tip: I highly recommend using some disposable rubber gloves when slicing into jalapeños! Not only can the seeds and membranes cause your fingers to burn after handling enough of them, but even when you wash your hands, that heat still lingers! One touch to the eye or face and it’s game over. So, use your gloves! Seriously.
Slice the tops off the jalapeños. Next, using a mandoline, thinly slice the peppers, removing whatever amount of seeds and pith you desire.
Keep in mind, if you remove the seeds and pith from let’s say, half of the pepper and then put that in a dish with seedy, pithy slices, literally just touching them will make them spicy. So, if planning to give some mild jalapeños to the kids, consider separating the slices into two different dishes.
Get out a large stockpot, fill it with salty water, and bring it to a boil.
To prep and cook the shrimp:
Carefully peel the shrimp, pinch their tails off, then pat them very dry with paper toweling on both sides.
Add them to a bowl along with the paprika, salt, and black pepper for the jalapeño shrimp alfredo.
Use your hands to massage the spices into the shrimp, coating them completely.
Next, get out a large skillet and heat the olive oil on medium high. Add the shrimp in a single layer and allow them to cook undisturbed for a couple minutes.
Flip with a tong and allow them to cook another minute or so, removing to a plate covered with foil once pink in color and cooked through.
To make the alfredo sauce:
In the same skillet, melt the butter for the sauce on medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Next, stir in the cream, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, then whisk in the Italian seasoning, onion powder, nutmeg, and salt. Gently simmer the sauce for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
At this point your water should be boiling for the fettuccine, so make that according to package instructions. Be sure to reserve some starchy pasta water before draining the pasta, and when it’s done, set it off to the side until ready to use.
Next, whisk the parmesan cheese into the alfredo sauce, adding it a handful at a time.
Whisk until smooth.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it with a tong to coat the noodles completely. Next, add half of the shrimp, toss, then use the pasta water to thin the sauce if you need to.
Remove from heat.
To serve:
Top with remaining shrimp, thinly sliced jalapeños, freshly cracked black pepper, fresh lemon juice, parsley, and more fresh parmesan cheese, if desired!
Scoop into bowls and serve. Enjoy!
Tips:
- If you don’t have a mandoline, just use a sharp chef knife or a paring knife to slice the jalapeños! If using a mandoline, please USE THE GUARD. Remember, it is a knife!
- Do not add the lemon juice until you have removed the skillet from heat. Citrus hitting hot dairy can cause the sauce to curdle, so adding it in the right moment keeps everything silky!
- This jalapeño shrimp alfredo will keep for 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I would recommend keeping the thinly sliced jalapeño in its own separate dish and topping the leftovers after being reheated.
- Alfredo tends to reheat into a butter sauce. To cream it back up, just splash in a bit of milk and more parmesan cheese.
- This recipe is not freezer friendly.
Do you have an abundance of fresh jalapeños too? Check out these ideas!
Big alfredo lover yourself? I feel that!
Jalapeño Shrimp Alfredo
Equipment
Ingredients
For the jalapeño shrimp alfredo:
- 12 oz Fettuccine
- 1 lb. Shrimp raw, deveined, peeled, tails removed
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
For the alfredo sauce:
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Shallot finely diced
- 6 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese freshly shredded
- ¼ cup Reserved Pasta Water
For serving:
- 2 Jalapeños very thinly sliced
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- Parsley minced
- Parmesan freshly shredded
Instructions
To prep the ingredients:
- To get started on this recipe, let's prep all of our ingredients and get our mise en place going!
- Get out a large stockpot, fill it with salty water, and bring it to a boil.
To prep and cook the shrimp:
- Carefully peel the shrimp, pinch their tails off, then pat them very dry with paper toweling on both sides.
- Add them to a bowl along with the paprika, salt, and black pepper for the jalapeño shrimp alfredo, using your hands to massage the spices into the shrimp until coated completely.
- Next, get out a large skillet and heat the olive oil on medium high.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer and allow them to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes.
- Flip with a tong and cook another 1 1/2 -2 minutes, removing to a plate covered with foil once pink in color and cooked through.
To make the alfredo sauce:
- In the same skillet, melt the butter for the sauce on medium heat.
- Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Stir in the cream, bringing the mixture to a simmer, then reducing the heat to medium low.
- Whisk in the Italian seasoning, onion powder, nutmeg, and salt, gently simmering the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- At this point your water should be boiling for the fettuccine, so make that according to package instructions, reserving 1/4 cup starchy pasta water before draining the pasta and setting it aside.
- Next, whisk the parmesan cheese into the alfredo sauce, adding it a handful at a time and whisking until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it with a tong to coat the noodles completely.
- Add half of the shrimp, toss, then use the pasta water to thin the sauce if you need to.
- Remove from heat.
To serve jalapeño shrimp alfredo:
- Top with remaining shrimp, thinly sliced jalapeños, freshly cracked black pepper, fresh lemon juice, parsley, and more fresh parmesan cheese, if desired!
- Scoop into bowls and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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