Name: Cajun Scallop Puttanesca
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Cajun Inspired
Ingredients: 16-20 large scallops; Cajun Spice Mix, see below; 3 – 4 cloves minced garlic; 3-4 cups diced plum tomatoes; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 chopped anchovy fillets; 1/2 cup pitted black olives, I used sundried olives packed in oil; 2 tbsp capers; 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil; salt and pepper to season; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 4 cups cooked pasta; 3 tbsp paprika; 3 tbsp smoked paprika; 2 tbsp garlic powder; 3 tbsp onion powder; 1 tbsp chili powder; 2 tbsp dried oregano; 2 tbsp dried basil; 1 1/2 ground thyme; 1/2 tbsp crushed chili flakes; 1 tbsp cayenne pepper; 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper; 1 tbsp white pepper; 1 tbsp celery salt; 2 tbsp kosher salt

Jump to recipe if you like, but be sure to read the whole post for instructional photos & other tips.

Cajun Scallops Puttanesca. These are a few of my favourite things. A spicy fusion of Italian and Louisiana cuisines.

Cajun Scallops Puttanesca

This cajun scallops recipe combines several of my favourite things. Scallops are my favourite seafood and a quick cooked pasta puttanesca may be my favourite Italian dish.

Add to that anything spicy or Cajun spiced and I’m absolutely in. This delicious dish definitely qualifies as a quick cook meal because Spouse and I actually whipped this up on my lunch hour yesterday afternoon!

Pile of peeled raw scallops isolated on white

Always use the freshest scallops when you can but thawed frozen scallops are often used around here as well.

It was a real collision of flavours and I absolutely loved it! We used whole wheat penne in this recipe but you can use whatever pasta you like. The anchovies are optional here but they act more as a seasoning for the dish rather than a dominant fishy flavour.

Cajun Scallops Puttanesca

You may also like to try this great recipe for Creamy Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti

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Cajun Scallops Puttanesca

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4 servings

Cajun Scallop Puttanesca

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This Cajun Scallops Puttanesca is a spicy fusion of Italian and Louisiana cuisines.

Ingredients

For the Cajun Spice Mix

3 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 ground thyme
1/2 tbsp crushed chili flakes
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp celery salt
2 tbsp kosher salt

For the Scallops Putanesca

16-20 large scallops
Cajun Spice Mix, see below
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
3-4 cups diced plum tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 chopped anchovy fillets
1/2 cup pitted black olives, I used sundried olives packed in oil
2 tbsp capers
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 cups cooked pasta

Instructions

To make the Cajun Spice Mix simply mix all ingredients together. Use only a little at a time when seasoning the scallops and store any unused spice mix that has not come into contact with the scallops in an airtight jar. This spice mix is great on chicken , steak and fish fillets as well.
Dip the scallops into the Cajun spice mix and pan sear them in a hot pan in a little vegetable oil for about 2 minutes per side depending on the size of the scallops. Serve on top of the pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese

To make the pasta and sauce

Saute the garlic in olive oil for only a minute before adding the anchovies and tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until the tomatoes begin to break down and form a sauce.
Add the capers, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and about 1 tbsp of the Cajun Spice Mix and cook until the sauce begins to thicken to a jam-like consistency.
Add the olives and basil in the last minute or so of cooking.
Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta.

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

Cajun Scallops Puttanesca