When I buy seafood I almost always buy fresh the day I plan to eat it or at most, the day before consumption. And that includes shrimp, although in reality unless you are lucky enough to live on the doorstep of where shrimp are harvested, pretty much all the shrimp you buy at the fishmonger has been frozen. They are so perishable it couldn’t be otherwise.
I usually buy from a fishmonger where I can see what’s on offer at the time and I can buy just enough for my immediate needs. A couple of weeks ago I had an urge for something with shrimp but I didn’t have the time or the inclination to drive the 30 mile round trip to my usual fishmonger. Instead I went to the local supermarket where I found a 2 lb (900g) bag of frozen shrimp. My first instinct was to walk right by it but on closer examination I had second thoughts. I noticed the shrimp were wild caught Gulf (of Mexico) shrimp, flash frozen. So, I took a chance and bought a bag and I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. The shrimp were fresh tasting, sweet and altogether delicious.
I used the last of them the other day to make this simple shrimp pasta with garlic and lemon. Trolling the internet for ideas I saw lots of recipes that were mostly quite similar. Many were in cream based sauces which were in essence a lot like Alfredo sauce. I didn’t want anything that heavy; I wanted the clean, fresh flavor of the shrimp to shine through. I cherry picked some of the features I liked from several recipes and eventually came up with this simple version with tender sweet shrimp delicately perfumed with lemon and just a hint of garlic.
I like to buy shell on shrimp because the shells are chock full of flavor and it is a terrible waste to throw them out before extracting as much of that flavor as possible. In this preparation I begin by sautéing the shells in a little oil. The oil takes on the flavor of the shrimp shells and provides a base for the rest of the dish. That being said, it’s an extra refinement that is not strictly necessary so if you choose not to do it, that’s fine; you will still have a delicious dinner.
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.
A little planning goes a long way to streamlining this recipe. If you have everything prepared and ready to go, this dish comes together in a flash. The bulk of the prep time is taken up by peeling and deveining the shrimp. While you are doing that you can have your pot of water on the go, ready to add the pasta when you are done peeling the shrimp.. And while the pasta cooks you can be sautéing the shrimp. A last minute toss of the pasta into the shrimp and dinner is ready.
The sequence goes like this:
1. Put the pasta water on to boil.
2. While it boils, peel and devein the shrimp.
3. When the shrimp are ready, add the pasta to the pot to cook.
4. While the pasta cooks, Sauté the shrimp shells, then the shrimp.
5. By then the pasta will be done. Add it straight from the pot to the shrimp using a pair of tongs. No need to drain the pasta.
6. Add a little pasta water to the pan and toss the whole lot to finish cooking.
7. Off heat swirl in the butter, parmesan cheese and basil. (Adding the butter off heat lets it emulsify in the little bit of pasta water left in the pan and the cheese tightens the whole into a luscious sauce barely enough to coat the pasta without weighing down the dish.)
OK, so what if it doesn’t quite go to plan? Maybe you are interrupted by a phone call or the kids need attention or whatever. Stuff happens, right? No worries, there is some flexibility in the recipe.
For example, it takes longer than you thought to peel and devein the shrimp and the pasta water is boiling away. Turn the fire down to maintain a simmer and when you are ready, crank up the heat to bring it back to a rolling boil.
The pasta is done cooking before the shrimp are ready. OK, so now you can drain the pasta and put it back into the now empty pot. It will be fine to sit a couple of minutes until you are ready for it. Don’t forget to save some of the pasta water though!
Or, it’s the other way round and the shrimp are ready before the pasta. In that case just turn off the fire under the shrimp and turn it back on again when the pasta is ready.
I buy my dried pasta at Costco because the product they sell (called Garofalo) is the best dried pasta I know in terms of taste and texture (and also because my local Costco is a convenient 5 minute walk away!). But here’s the thing, Garofalo sells their pasta in 500g (1 lb-2 oz) packages while most other pasta brands sold in the US are in 1 lb (450g) packages. I’m calling for the US standard 1 lb of pasta here but if your package of pasta is 500g, just use that. No point in leaving out the odd 50g.
This recipe will feed 6 adults but it can easily be halved.
Linguini with Lemon and Shrimp
Equipment
- 12" (30cm) skillet (For 1/2 recipe use a 10" (26cm) skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) linguini or any long pasta – See note 1 below
- 1-1/2 lb (650g) large shell on shrimp – peeled, deveined and shells reserved
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 6 Tbs (75g) unsalted butter – divided
- 1 Tbs minced garlic
- 1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lemon – zest and juice
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (See note 4 below)
- 1 oz (30g) about 1/2 a cup parmesan cheese – plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to a minute or so shy of recommended cooking time.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, 12” (30cm) skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp shells and sauté until they begin to get spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the shrimp shells. (See note 2 below).
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 TBS (25g) of the butter to the now empty skillet. When the foam starts to subside add the garlic and pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds or so until the garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to over do the garlic or it will take on a bitter, acrid taste.
- Add the shrimp and season with a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Sauté for about a minute and a half until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Toss the shrimp and cook on the second side another minute.
- By this time the pasta should be ready. (See note 3 below). Add it to the pan with the shrimp and toss to combine, stirring in 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Continue to cook, tossing and adding pasta water by 1/4 cup fulls until the pasta is fully cooked but still al dente, another 2-3 minutes. There should be 2-3 TBS of thick, viscous pasta water remaining in the bottom of the pan.
- Off heat stir in the remaining butter, lemon zest, juice, the basil leaves and the parmesan cheese.
- Serve on warm plates sprinkled with more parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil..
Notes
