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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
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb (450g) shell on shrimp - - peeled, deveined and shells reserved
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil - - Divided
  • 1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic
  • 3/4 lb (350g) linguini or any long pasta - - See note 1 below
  • 3 Tbs (75g) unsalted butter - - divided
  • 1 lemon - - zest and juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (See note 3 below) - - optional
  • 1 oz (30g) about 1/2 a cup parmesan cheese - - plus more for serving

Equipment

  • 12" (30cm) skillet
  • medium bowl for marinating the shrimp

Method
 

  1. In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with 3 TBS of olive oil, garlic, 1/2 Tsp salt, 1/4 Tsp pepper and the red pepper flakes. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining TBS of 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). Make sure you get all the little shrimp legs and bits of shell.
  3. Prepare and have ready all the remaining ingredients.
  4. Fill a pot or a wide, deep sided sauté pan with 2 qt (2L) of water and add 1 TBS of salt. (See note 3 below) Bring to a boil and add the pasta.
  5. As the pasta cooks set the skillet you used for the shrimp shells over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook for about 1-1/2 minutes before flipping them over to cook another minute or so. Adjust the heat so the garlic doesn't burn. The garlic bits should end up the color of roasted peanuts. See headnotes above.
  6. Remove the shrimp to a bowl and set aside. Add about 1/2 cup (120ml) of pasta water to the skillet to stop the garlic from burning.
  7. When the pasta is 2 minutes shy of the recommended cooking time, transfer it to the skillet along with about 1/2 cup (120ml) of pasta water. You can do this using tongs to lift the pasta out of the water directly to the skillet or, drain the pasta before adding it. Remember to save at least 2 cups of the pasta water!
  8. Increase the heat to high and toss the pasta to finish cooking, adding more pasta water 1/4 cup (60ml) at a time as the pan dries out. by the time the pasta is cooked to your liking there should be 2-3 TBS of thick, starchy water left in the pan. If not, add another 1-2 TBS as needed.
  9. Off heat stir in the butter, lemon zest, juice and the basil leaves until the butter is melted.
  10. Add the parmesan cheese with a generous sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper and stir/toss until the cheese is melted and the pasta is coated in a silky smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water 1 TBS at a time to get the consistency you want.
  11. Serve on warm plates sprinkled with more parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil..

Notes

1. Any long pasta will do but try to avoid angel hair or very thin spaghetti. 
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.
3. I prefer to use a large, wide sauté pan to cook my pasta. I find it easier to fish out the pasta and to scoop out pasta water to use in the sauce but you can use whatever pot you usually cook your pasta in. Either way, since we are using some of the pasta water for the sauce it shouldn't be too salty. I would suggest using 2 quarts (2L) of water and a tablespoon of salt. Taste the salted water - it should taste slightly of salt but not aggressively so.
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.

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