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–+ servings

Linguini with Lemon and Shrimp

A simple shrimp and pasta dish with a delicate lemon flavor and a hint of garlic
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people

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

1. If your pasta is sold in 500g packages, no need to hold back the 50g from the 450g called for, just use the whole package.
2. Sautéing the shrimp shells is not an essential step but they do add their unique flavor. So, if you can't find shell on shrimp or simply don't want to add this step, by all means omit it. In that case heat the oil and butter together before adding the garlic and red pepper flakes.
3. If you have done your mise-en-place and everything is ready to go this dish comes together quickly. The time to cook the shrimp and the pasta should coincide allowing you to add the pasta directly from the pot to the shrimp. However, if the pasta is done before the shrimp is ready to receive it, drain it, saving some of the pasta water and put the drained pasta back into the now empty pot. When you are ready, add the pasta to the shrimp with some pasta water and proceed with the recipe. 
If the shrimp is ready before the pasta, simply turn off the fire under the pan and turn it back on again when the pasta is ready. 
4. If your basil leaves are small and tender add them whole. If the leaves  are larger and less delicate, cut them in a chiffonade before adding them. 
If you don't know, "chiffonade" is term used to describe leaves that are cut into thin strips. To do this stack a few leaves together and roll them up like a cigar then slice the 'cigar' crosswise into strips.