How to make Cajun langostino pasta
Cajun langostino pasta with andouille sausage is a delicious weeknight dinner. Meals with langostinos, like this bisque, always feel a little special and make great date night food.
Seafood and pasta go well together, like this langostino alfredo and langostino mac and cheese, and if you are a fan of this combo, I hope you’ll love this newest creation.
I used a squid ink pasta for this dish to showcase the color of the seafood and because I had it in the cupboard. It makes a really lovely presentation.
Cajun langostino pasta with andouille sausage
As you can see, the noodles are black. The color comes from squid ink (or cuttlefish ink) and it is mixed into the pasta dough.
Don’t worry, your pasta won’t taste like squid – it just gives the pasta some color. It’s the same idea as using spinach to make pasta green.
The flavors in this pasta dish remind me a little of my langostino étouffée, but this recipe is faster and a bit easier.
Speaking of flavor, this Cajun langostino pasta has a ton of it. The andouille gives it just enough spice to make your lips tingle, but not so much that your eyes water.
Andouille sausage is available in most stores, but if yours doesn’t carry it, you can substitute with kielbasa, chorizo or your favorite smoked sausage. It won’t be the same, but you can add a pinch of cayenne for the missing heat.
Is this pasta spicy?
I wouldn’t say it is spicy, but it does have a little heat from the andouille and hot sauce. If you do not like spicy food, omit the hot sauce and you should be fine.
I used a bit of lemon juice in the sauce, but you could swap that out with a splash of heavy cream and that will also help to balance the heat in the sausage.
How to thaw langostino tails
Langostino tail meat is most often found frozen and already cooked, so it is as easy as defrosting and adding to your pasta.
The best way to thaw anything frozen is in the refrigerator overnight. Put the langostinos in a colander, place a bowl underneath to catch the water and cover it.
If you forgot to pull it out of the freezer and you’re in a rush (we’ve all been there), put the package in a bowl inside of the sink with cold, running water.
Leave the tap running in a pencil-thin stream into the bowl until it is thawed enough to use. Never, ever use warm or hot water to speed up the process.
As is the case when defrosting anything, never and I do mean never, leave the frozen item on the counter to thaw. I won’t bore you with the details, but that makes a lovely environment for bacteria to breed.
How to make
This meal comes together pretty quickly, making it a great option for weeknights.
Taking a few minutes to chop celery and onions and measure out ingredients ahead of time will save you precious minutes when you’re ready to make dinner.
- Brown andouille sausage in a sauté pan, remove and set aside.
- Make roux in the same pan, scraping up brown bits (or the fond) on the bottom.
- Add celery and onions along with the salt and pepper. Cook until softened, then add tomatoes, garlic, hot sauce and stock.
- Cook pasta and reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water.
- Add andouille to the pan, gently fold in langostinos and top with scallions.
- Serve over pasta.
I really hope you love this recipe. If you make it, snap a pic and share it with me either in the Fabulous Foodie Friends Facebook group or on Instagram by tagging @pookspantry and using hashtag #pookspantry.
Please share
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.
Cajun langostino pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces langostinos thawed and drained
- 6 ounces andouille sausage sliced into rounds
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced (or more if you like garlic)
- 1 tbsp. hot sauce
- 2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 cup scallions green onion, sliced – green part only
- 1/2 cup pasta water – see notes
- 1 cup seafood or chicken stock
- 4 ounces pasta
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add andouille sausage and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add butter to the pan and scrape bottom of the pan to release the browned bits (fond) from the pan. Sprinkle flour into pan and stir to combine.
- Cook roux (butter and flour mixture) for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Save at least 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- Add onions and celery to the pan with butter and flour, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes to soften. (Reduce heat if onions/celery start to brown)
- Add tomatoes, garlic and hot sauce to celery and onions. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low.
- Add stock and andouille sausage to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes on medium low heat.
- Add lemon juice and pasta water to the sauce to adjust consistency (you may want to add all of it or only some of it), then gently fold in langostinos.
- Divide pasta evenly into shallow bowls, and spoon langostino andouille mixture on top.
- Sprinkle sliced scallions over pasta and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe without prior written permission. Thank you!