Blackened Steak And Shrimp Alfredo Recipe

Creamy, rich, and a little bit gluttonous, Alfredo is the comfort food of the pasta world. That's exactly what it was invented for, too: The origins can be traced back to Italian chef Alfredo di Lelio, who made the dish as a remedy for his wife's upset stomach. The original dish was simple, consisting only of Parmesan and butter, a true testament to the Italians' "less-is-more" approach. In America, Alfredo is usually taken a few steps further, becoming richer, creamier, and even more cheesy.

Though not authentically Italian, it's common to add chicken or shrimp to American fettuccine Alfredo as a way to transform the dish and add deeper, richer flavor. This recipe reimagines shrimp Alfredo by not only blackening the shrimp, a technique attributed to Southern cooking, but also adding deeply blackened steak. With blackening, the proteins are coated in a blend of chile powder, garlic powder, paprika, and sugar before being seared in piping-hot butter. This creates a dark, flavorful crust on the outside while the insides stay juicy and tender. Toss them into a creamy, cheesy sauce, and you have a perfect, super-flavorful Alfredo.

For the blackening seasoning, you'll need paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, brown sugar, and ancho chile powder. Ancho chiles are known for being mild but earthy and just a little smoky, making them a good pairing for creamy sauces. You can also swap for general chili powder or even chipotle chile powder, which would be even smokier. After gathering the blackening seasoning ingredients, grab a small strip steak and a pound of shrimp. From there, it's mostly pasta and dairy: Grab a box of fettuccine, butter, garlic, cream cheese, milk, heavy cream, Parmesan, and parsley.

Stir together the chile powder, paprika, garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Transfer half of the mixture to a separate bowl.

In the first bowl, add the thyme and brown sugar and stir to combine.

Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Press the spices with the sugar into the steak.

Toss the shrimp with the seasonings in the other bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

When the skillet is very hot, add the steak and sear until browned, about 4 minutes.

Flip the steak and brown on the other side, about another 4 minutes.

Remove the steak and tent with foil.

With the skillet still hot, add the shrimp and cook until just barely curled and opaque, about 2 minutes, flipping once.

Remove the shrimp from the skillet and reserve.

In a nonstick skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat.

Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, and milk and whisk until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and immediately add the Parmesan and the remaining salt and black pepper. Stir to melt.

Add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss to coat.

Slice the reserved steak into strips and toss it into the Alfredo.

Add the shrimp and toss it in the Alfredo until warm.

Serve, topped with the parsley.

Blackening is a technique that uses hot butter and colorful seasonings to deeply brown the exterior of a piece of meat or fish. Though blackening isn't the same as burning, the results can be similar in many ways, especially for the skillet. After searing the seasoned steak in butter, the skillet will be coated in the darkened seasoning and now-browned butter. While the brown bits from a protein like chicken could normally be used for more flavor, the blackened bits don't quite work for Alfredo sauce.

We also recommend switching to a non-stick skillet for the sauce, which will be easier and gentler to cook with than the cast iron used for searing the steak. If you only have one pan to work with, don't worry: Simply use a paper towel to wipe down the skillet after cooking the steak and shrimp. If you're using a cast iron skillet, be sure to whisk the sauce frequently to avoid scorching the milk.

First, with blackening, avoid any cut of beef that is meant for slow-cooking, such as short ribs, chuck, or brisket. Because the goal of blackening is to cook quickly over high heat, you'll want to look for steaks you can sear, such as strip steaks, skirt steaks, or flank steaks. Strip steaks, or New York strips, work well for Alfredo because they are thick, tender, and juicy; they are also able to be seared, so they blacken well, too.

You can also opt for skirt or flank steaks, especially if you prefer a steak more well-done. These two steaks are thinner and cook quickly, meaning they are more likely to cook past medium. Because the two steaks are often sold in larger portions, you can ask the butcher for a smaller portion or plan to save half of your steak for another use, such as carne asada or quesadillas.