This post has been edited to make the process more manageable with a couple of do ahead steps to take the pressure off .

Wondering what to make for dinner one day we decided on something with shrimp. I had some left over from a bag in the freezer so now all we needed to do was figure out what to do with them. As I so often do I consulted Dr Google for ideas. (Actually I use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. Unlike Google, they do not track my searches.) Pasta with shrimp seemed like a good choice; quick and easy, perfect for a weeknight dinner. The trouble was, most of the recipes I looked at were in rich, cream based sauces. I wanted something that didn’t mute the delicate flavor of the shrimp.

In the end I cherry picked some of the feature I liked from several recipes and eventually came up with this simple version showcasing the tender, sweet shrimp with a bright lemony accent and a subtle hint of garlic.

The Shrimp:

Since they are the star of the show, let’s talk a little bit about shrimp.

I am fortunate in that I can buy raw, shell on shrimp at the fish counter in almost any grocery store. In most cases I can get wild caught Gulf (of Mexico) shrimp which I much prefer to the farm raised from Asia. Now, if only they would sell shrimp with the heads on… But that’s another story. If you are this lucky, great. But what if you are not?

I’ve seen in the UK that independent fishmongers (and butchers too) are fast disappearing from High Streets around the country. The only option most folks have for buying seafood is the at supermarket and the shrimp sold there are often shelled and fully cooked. The raw shrimp, when it is available, is usually already peeled.

So, if these are your only options, can you still make this dish? Yes you can, although it will have a slightly different flavor profile. If your shrimp are raw, go ahead and marinate them as directed in the recipe. If they are fully cooked, omit the marinating step and just add the shrimp to the pasta in the last stages of cooking where the recipe calls of adding the shrimp back to the pan. In this case, while the pasta is cooking heat all of the oil in the skillet and cook the garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic starts to color. Add the pasta water as directed to stop the garlic from burning.

Like all seafood, shrimp need to be treated with care when cooking. Overcooked shrimp will become tough and rubbery; just right and they are tender and sweet with a little brininess of the ocean. Don’t have the heat too high and watch as the shrimp begin to curl up. A good visual clue is when they curl into a loose “C” shape they are pretty much done. If they curl into a tight “O” shape they are over done.

So, what’s the big deal with shrimp shells?

Shrimp shells have a ton of flavor compounds that are completely different from the shrimp meat; kinda like lemon zest has a different taste than lemon juice. The shrimp shells impart a subtle flavor that is not immediately recognizable as shrimp but you will notice if it’s not there. Same with shrimp heads only more assertive, in a good way. Bottom line – if you can get shrimp with the shell (and better yet, the heads) on, take maximum advantage of the flavors they add to this or any other shrimp dish.

About the pasta choice:

I like to use linguini or spaghetti but any long pasta will do. I do not recommend using angel hair or very thin spaghetti though. They are not sturdy enough; you want to be able to feel the texture of the pasta as you eat it and super thin pasta just doesn’t do it.

The process goes something like this:

1. Toss the shrimp in a bowl along with the garlic, red pepper flakes, some salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil. Pop it into the fridge for a half hour or up to an hour to marinate.
2. In the meantime, in a large, 12″ skillet you will sauté the shells in a little oil until they begin to get spotty brown. Once they’ve done their work flavoring the oil you can discard the shells. Make sure you get all the little shrimp legs and stray bits of shell.
3. Now you can prep and assemble all the other ingredients.
4. When you are ready to go, put on a pot of salted water for the pasta.
5. Once the pasta is going cook the shrimp in the skillet over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. They will be slightly undercooked at this point but that’s OK, they will finish cooking once you add them back to the pasta later.
   Keep a close eye on the garlic and make sure it doesn’t burn. A little color is fine but not too much. It should look like the color of roasted peanuts.
6. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the pan (you can save a bit of washing up if you put the shrimp back in the same bowl you used to marinate them) and add a ladle of pasta water to the skillet to stop the garlic from burning.
7. Transfer the pasta to the skillet when it is about 2 minutes shy of the time on the package instructions. You can do this using a pair of tongs or, alternatively you can drain the pasta then add it to the skillet but be sure to save some of the pasta water!
8. Add about 1/2 cup (120ml) of pasta water, crank up the heat and toss the pasta to finish cooking.
9. Now it’s time to add the shrimp back to the skillet. Keep adding water by the 1/4 cup (60ml) and tossing the pasta. By the time the pasta is done cooking in a few minutes you should see a couple of tablespoons of thick, starchy liquid in the pan. If not, add another tablespoon or two of water.
10. Turn off the fire and add the butter, lemon zest, juice and the basil, tossing until the butter is melted.
11. Lastly, add the parm and a good sprinkle of fresh ground pepper. The cheese will gently melt into the starchy water creating a luscious, silky cream sauce that will coat the pasta – but without cream! If needs be add more water a tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you want.

This recipe will feed 4 adults (or 3 with healthy appetites) but it can easily be doubled.