How to Cook Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients needed to make Shrimp Scampi Pasta:

• ¾ lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied; shell reserved
• ¾ lb thin linguini or your favourite pasta
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
• ¼ onion, peeled
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tbsp butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 5 tbsp olive oil

Cooking instructions for Shrimp Scampi Pasta:

• Place the shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle the grated garlic, zest of a lemon, a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper over them.
• Add a splash of juice of that lemon and drizzle olive oil over the shrimps.
• Toss them all together to coat well and set aside for half an hour to marinate.
• To make the shrimp broth, drop the reserved shrimp shells into a small pot and fill in water until the former remains reserved.
• Add the onion into it and bring it to a boil.
• Reduce it to a simmer and cook over moderately low flame for 20 minutes.
• Tip it into the fine mesh sieve to strain into a bowl and get rid of the onion plus shells.
• Fill a large pot with water and heat it over high flame until it starts boiling.
• Stir a large pinch of salt into it and add the pasta into it.
• Cook them until they are cooked al dente and drain them out into a colander; set ½ cup of the pasta cooking water aside.
• Place a skillet in stovetop and heat it over high flame.
• Drain the shrimp from the marinade and toss them into the hot skillet.
• Stir fry them for about 3 minutes, until their flesh turn pinkish and they begin to brown.
• Transfer them into a bowl and pour the marinade into it.
• Cook the mixture for several minutes, stirring often and pour in a cup of the shrimp broth, followed by ½ cup reserved cooking water.
• Continue to cook the mixture until it begins to simmer and the sauce thickens to half its original volume.
• Stir in a splash of juice and zest of the 2^nd lemon until well mixed and add a splodge of butter into it.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top as well as a dash of seasonings if necessary and stir them all together until well mixed.
• Return the shrimps to the pan and add the cooked pasta into the sauce.
• Toss them well until properly coated and transfer it into a large serving bowl.
• Serve warm.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on April 30, 2013 by