Juicy Cajun sirloin and garlic shrimp piled over creamy Parmesan fettuccine with red bell pepper. Rich, a little spicy and built to look like you worked a hell of a lot harder than you actually did.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the 8 oz fettuccine. Salt the water like you mean it. This is pasta, not a bath.
Pat the 10–12 oz sirloin dry and season it with about 1 tsp McCormick Cajun Seasoning and black pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the steak until browned and cooked to your preferred doneness. Use a thermometer instead of guessing. Guessing is how a beautiful piece of sirloin becomes a hockey puck. Move the steak to a cutting board and let it rest whole. Save every drop of resting juice.
Add the 8 oz fettuccine to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve at least ½ cup pasta water. That cloudy water is about to save your sauce.
In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the ½ thinly sliced red bell pepper and cook until beginning to soften. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook about 30 seconds. Garlic burns fast, and burnt garlic tastes like regret.
Pour in 1 cup heavy cream. Stir in 2 tsp McCormick Cajun Seasoning, ¼ tsp smoked paprika and black pepper. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and stir in ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan until smooth. Low heat when the Parmesan goes in. We want silky, not something you could patch drywall with. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with reserved pasta water a splash at a time—don't dump in more cream.
Add the drained fettuccine to the sauce and toss until completely coated. Add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice and enough reserved pasta water to make the sauce glossy and loose enough to cling to the noodles. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the finished fettuccine to your serving bowl and keep it warm.
Wipe out the steak skillet if needed. Melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Season the 8 oz shrimp with about 1 tsp McCormick Cajun Seasoning and black pepper. Add the shrimp and cook until they are almost opaque, then add 2 minced garlic cloves. Stay at the stove. Shrimp have absolutely no respect for your schedule.
While the shrimp finish, cut the rested sirloin into bite-size cubes. Pour every bit of the steak's resting juice over the cubes. The girl will appreciate the cube.
When the shrimp are almost done, add the cubed steak and all its resting juices to the skillet. Give everything a light sprinkle of McCormick Cajun Seasoning and toss together for only 1–2 minutes, just long enough to coat the steak and warm it through. You're introducing the steak and shrimp, not sending them on vacation together. No extra finishing butter is needed.
Spoon the hot steak, shrimp and skillet juices directly over the finished fettuccine. Give the bowl one very light final dusting of McCormick Cajun Seasoning, then finish with extra freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately. You're not auditioning for the Food Network. She's hungry. Serve it.
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