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I love pasta of all kinds, but pasta with shrimp is one of my favorites.  This dish is easy to make and comes together quickly.  It’s great for a weeknight meal and elegant enough to serve to company.

This recipe is full of things I keep on hand – another thing that makes it really convenient.  I always keep frozen, raw shrimp in the freezer so I can pull it out for a last minute meal.  I buy the shrimp when they are on sale at the grocery store to save on cost – just be sure to buy raw frozen shrimp; I find the cooked shrimp always end up rubbery and overcooked when I use them for anything but shrimp cocktail.  Fresh parsley keeps for weeks in the fridge, rolled in a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic ziplock.  And chicken stock and white wine are definite essentials in my kitchen.

This recipe serves 4-6 people, or two people for dinner with lots of leftovers for lunch that week.  It makes a good amount of sauce, so I highly suggest serving it with a loaf of crusty French bread for dipping!  (After dinner is over, I can usually be found standing over the pan in the kitchen with a couple more pieces of bread in hand…)

Ingredients:
1 pound linguine (or your favorite pasta)
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined*
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup white wine
salt and pepper
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the linguine, and cook according to package directions.

In a large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 3 minutes.  Remove shrimp from pan just before they are cooked through and place on a plate.  (They will be added back in later to finish cooking.)  Be careful not to overcrowd the pan when you are cooking the shrimp – when shrimp are in just one layer on the bottom, they cook evenly and it is easier to tell when to take them off the heat before they are fully cooked.

Add butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.  When the butter is melted, add onions and sauté until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add white wine and scrape any brown bits from the pan.  Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, and cook for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced.  Add shrimp back to the pan, along with the parsley and parmesan cheese.  Taste for seasoning.

When the pasta is done, drain and then add it to the pan with the shrimp and sauce.  Toss gently to coat the pasta with sauce, and move to serving dish.  Top with additional parsley and parmesan, if desired.

*I love to use the large, 21-25 count shrimp for this dish, but almost any size will do – if you get the shrimp on sale and save some money, it tastes even better!!