Pasta seafood dishes are one of the things that always draw my eye first when I’m at a restaurant. Here’s a secret though: They are crazy easy to make at home. This shrimp linguine is the perfect example. If you pick up some shrimp and some linguine on your next grocery run, you likely have everything else you need to make this dish. Just 30 minutes in the kitchen and you will have a meal that is fit to impress, but will work great as a weeknight meal too!
Variations
Swap the olive oil for butter. Butter can be used in place of olive oil here for that rich butter flavor. Olive oil has a higher smoke point, so you will want to watch closely that your butter does not burn. Add in onions. For another layer of flavor, you can add in half a small yellow onion when you add in the garlic. You will want to saute it for five to seven minutes or until the onion is translucent. Change out the pasta. If linguine isn’t your thing, you can easily replace it with fettuccine or spaghetti here. Change out the protein. If you are serving someone who is allergic to shrimp or doesn’t like seafood, you could swap the shrimp for chicken. Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and cook them for about four minutes in step four.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover pasta with shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the portion you plan to eat in a small skillet over low heat, adding a splash of broth if needed to keep it from drying out. Always use your best judgment with leftovers.
Use plenty of water. Not only should the water just cover the pasta, but you need enough that the pasta has room to grow as it cooks. A pound of pasta needs four to six quarts of water. Salt the water. Adding one to two teaspoons of salt to the water before adding the pasta enhances the flavor of the noodles. Bring the water to a roaring boil. Be sure that there are large, constant bubbles before adding the dry pasta. Set a timer. Follow the directions on the package and set a timer so that you know exactly when your pasta is al dente. Be sure to save some of the water before draining the pasta. Reserve cooking liquid. Before you drain the pasta, remember to reserve 1/2 cup of that starchy cooking liquid.
If you do burn your garlic (hey, it happens), I recommend starting over with new garlic. Be sure to throughly clean your pan and start from scratch. The safest way to thaw frozen shrimp is to leave it in the refrigerator the night before you plan to make this recipe. You can also run it under cold water for 10 to 20 minutes before cooking. Be sure to follow the directions on the package for thawing instructions. As shrimp cook, they change from a grayish hue to a vibrant pink color. Additionally, they begin to curl inward. Once the shrimp have just turned pink and slightly curled, it’s time to flip them to cook the other side, and then promptly remove them from the pan. Overcooking shrimp can significantly lower the quality of the dish. If you make this shrimp linguine recipe or any of my other recipes, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
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