Shrimp and Andouille Pasta with a Creole Mustard Cream Sauce

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage in a Creole Mustard Cream Sauce tossed in penne pasta. The amazing flavors that come from this creamy shrimp and sausage pasta dish belie its simplicity. A cream sauce made memorable by adding tangy, spicy creole mustard is the perfect match for two of South Louisiana’s natural treasures-fresh Gulf shrimp and andouille sausage. This is Sweet Daddy D’s Shrimp David...you’ll find this Creole treat an instant hit with your friends and family.

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Jump to:

• Where Did This Recipe Come From?
• Here Is What You Need
• Here Is What You Do
• Hints and Tips
• Recipe
• Shrimp David
• Comments or Questions?

Where Did This Recipe Come From?

The idea for this recipe came from a lunch I had with my son at the Palace Cafe, one of the Brennan restaurants in New Orleans. My son noticed a pasta dish with a creole cream sauce that looked good to him, but it had shrimp, which he didn't like. He asked for it with chicken, and of course, they were glad to accommodate him. He enjoyed that dish so much that it wasn’t long before he was asking me to make that for him at home. Through trial and error, I finally came up with a cream sauce powered by Creole mustard and served it with chicken, andouille and pasta, which became an instant hit at our house. I named that dish Pasta Davidrecipeafter him, and I still get requests to make that Palace Cafe knock-off for family and friends. Now getting back to the original intent of the recipe, I’ve developed this creamy shrimp and sausage pasta with a wonderful Creole vibe, more like the original at the Palace Cafe.

Here Is What You Need

• Gulf Shrimp. You can use either fresh or frozen shrimp in this recipe. See more about the shrimp in the Hints and Tips section below. Check out the Cajun Grocer for an online source of some great Gulf shrimp if you can't find them at your local grocery store or seafood market. 
• Andouille Sausage. Common in South Louisiana recipes, Andouille is a smoked pork sausage, typically highly spiced and often made from coarsely ground pork. I use a mild andouille sausage for this recipe. It will still add a great flavor but not clash with the mustard. Check out the Hints and Tips section below for more about Andouille.
• Creole Mustard. This is the real flavor driver for this recipe. Creole Mustard is spicy, Dijon-style grain mustard with a bit of horseradish.  Check out the Hints and Tips section below for substitutes.
• Penne Pasta. Penne pasta is ideal for this dish because the sauce will cling to it very well and its structure stands up and will not be overwhelmed by the rich flavors of the sauce, shrimp and andouille. Check out the Hints and Tips section below for substitutes.

Other ingredients:

• Heavy Cream
• Chicken Stock
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Green Onions
• Lemon Juice
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Creole Seasoning
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Equipment:

• Stockpot to boil pasta
• Large saute or fry pan with a lid

And don’t forget the beer.

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Here Is What You Do

First...you have a beer.  Preparation starts with the cook! This recipe is really quite simple and can be done in an hour if you prepare properly. Your mise en place starts with a beer and while you're sipping that, read the recipe thoroughly to make sure you have all the ingredients and you know what to do with them. Peel, devein and rinse the shrimp, then mix in some Creole seasoning and set them aside. After prepping (chopping, measuring, sipping) all the ingredients, you should cook the pasta according to the directions on the box for al dente. The pasta should take about 9 to 11 minutes, so you can start the sauce when that gets going. Like most recipes, this one is a lot easier if you have everything prepped and placed in their own prep bowls so all you need to do is assemble the recipe.

Brown the sausage and shrimp

This creamy shrimp and sausage pasta starts with the first layer of flavor. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the sausage and allow it to brown for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow some fond to develop which brings great color and flavor.

Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside, leaving as much oil and rendered fat as possible. Next, saute the shrimp on both sides for about 2 ½ minutes. Turn the shrimp over halfway through the process so each side browns. (See the Hints and Tips section below about overcooking the shrimp). Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Build the foundation for the sauce

How’s your beer? After removing the shrimp, add the butter and when it is nearly melted and foaming, add the shallots. Saute the shallots for about 3 minutes stirring frequently.

Add the garlic and stir for about 2 minutes until aromatic, then mix in about half of the Creole seasoning.

Next, deglaze the pan with a little of the stock and blend all the loosened fond into the sauce. Add the remainder of the stock and the lemon juice.

Lower the heat to a simmer and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes until the stock has reduced by about half.

Build the sauce

Add the heavy cream and mix well, increasing the heat to a heavy simmer.

Add the green onions, then lower the heat and simmer on low for about 5 minutes, then stir in the creole mustard.

Add back the sausage, stir completely and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

Next, add the shrimp, mix well, then cover the pan and simmer on low for about 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Mix in the pasta and finish

Blend in the cooked pasta starting with about half of the pasta and about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.

Mix that thoroughly, then add more pasta a little at a time blending completely before you add more pasta. It’s important not to add so much pasta that it does not get completely coated with the sauce, so it’s likely that you will not use the entire pound of cooked pasta.  When the pasta is all mixed in, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately.

That’s it, simple as that.

Serve this with any of these Sweet Daddy D favorites:

Hints and Tips

Can I use frozen shrimp for this?

• Yes, I often use frozen shrimp for this recipe. Check out your grocery’s seafood department freezer case to see if they have frozen shrimp. They should already be peeled and washed and normally flash frozen so they are hard to distinguish from fresh when defrosted. I use either medium or large shrimp for this, but small shrimp would be fine as well. 
• To defrost, place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. For a quicker method, place the frozen shrimp in a colander inside of a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water and change the water every five minutes or so until the shrimp are defrosted, which should take between 15 and 20 minutes. 
• Fresh shrimp are absolutely great for this recipe. If you can get some fresh shrimp in the shell with heads, use the shells to make a homemade shrimp stock. You’ll need to buy about 1 ¾ to 2 pounds (depending on if they have heads on or not) to yield a pound of shrimp after you peel them. Here is a recipe for Homemade Shrimp Stock, which can be substituted for the Chicken Stock.
• If you can't find shrimp near you, check out the Cajun Grocer (dot-com). They have some great shrimp and other seafood. I do not have an affiliation with these folks, but I have used them and highly recommend them.   

This is a simple recipe, but I have messed it up before. Here’s what I’ve learned.

• First, don’t over-cook the pasta. Not many recipes are at their best with mushy, overcooked pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente (meaning to cook until it gives a slight resistance when bitten-not overcooked or undercooked; meaning "tooth" in Italian.) A little "bite" in the pasta will make sure it won’t be overcooked after you blend it into the sauce. 
• I've messed this up by not making is "saucy" enough.  The two ways to do that is to cook the sauce down too much or by adding too much pasta to the sauce. You want the finished dish to be “saucy”, so if you add too much pasta or don't have enough sauce, you won't have enough sauce to handle all the pasta.  When you first make this recipe, add the sausage back in when a little earlier than you think you should. Believe me, it will thicken up. Also, add the pasta a little at a time, starting with about half. Mix that amount completely before you add a little more pasta. Make sure you blend in the pasta completely before adding more and stop when it’s a nice saucy look-you probably won’t use all of the pasta. 
• Finally, don’t overcook the shrimp. It is so easy to do this and you really have to pay attention. Saute the shrimp only a couple of minutes in the beginning and don’t add them back until just before you are ready to serve. If it looks like there will be a delay in serving, just hold the recipe at the point after you add the sausage. When you are ready to serve, bring the sauce to a slight simmer, add the shrimp and finish according to the instruction. Overcooked shrimp can be hard and rubbery and certainly distract from the recipe. 

What if I can’t find Creole mustard?

• I recommend Zatarain brand Creole Mustard, which can be bought on Amazon if you don’t have it in your grocery store.  There are other brands of Creole mustard that are excellent as well and you should use what you can get. If you cannot get Creole mustard, use a dijon or brown grain mustard and add a dash of Worcestershire and about ½ to 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish to ½ cup of mustard. 

Do I need Andouille Sausage?

• Andouille sausage is highly seasoned (that doesn’t mean it’s always spicy) coarse-grained, smoked pork sausage which is very common in Cajun and Creole recipes. Any smoked pork sausage, like kielbasa, can be substituted for the andouille, but keep in mind that the andouille adds a lot of authentic flavors that other sausages do not.

Do I have to use penne pasta?

• I find that penne pasta is an excellent choice for this because it is stout and latches onto the sauce well. However, this recipe goes well with other types of pasta as well, like farfalle (bowtie), rotini and even fettuccini.

How long will leftovers last?

• Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, use the microwave or slowly warm in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. I do not recommend freezing leftover pasta in cream sauce. 

Is this the same as Shrimp Creole? 

• The answer to that is no, they are completely different. Shrimp Creole is a traditional Creole dish made with a spicy tomato-based sauce with shrimp and served over rice. The base for this dish is a cream sauce made with Creole mustard, blended with shrimp and tossed with pasta. 

Don't care for shrimp? Try it with chicken...I call that recipe Pasta David.

Check out these other Cajun and Creole Recipes from Sweet Daddy D:

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