Sure, you can make this year-round, but there's just something gratifying about a plateful of linguine with shrimp in summer.
Quick and simple
This linguine with shrimp recipe comes together easily because the fish requires little work and the cooking time is short. The shrimp cooks in tomato sauce while the pasta water boils. Transfer everything to a sauté pan, cook for a few minutes, and it's done.
Quality first
Ingredient quality is key. The pasta would be made from durum wheat semolina and should be cooked for few minutes in the sauce to absorb its flavors. In regard to the shrimp, opt for fresh over frozen. If cooking with tomatoes, fresh ones go best with shrimp. Otherwise, use high-quality chopped pulp.
Cleaning the shrimp
You can leave the shell in place or remove it, but remember to remove the intestine, the black vein-like strand that runs down the back. If using whole shrimp, snip through the shell with scissors and remove the black strand. If using shelled shrimp, use a knife to slice open its back and remove the strand.
The recipe
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and then cook the linguine. Separately, cook the shrimp whole or shelled, or both, in a pan with oil, garlic, chopped parsley, and a piece of chili pepper. Then add the cherry tomatoes or the tomato pulp and let the sauce reduce, salting it slightly only at the end.
Drain the pasta when it's very al dente and sauté in the pan, cooking it in the sauce for around two minutes. For every 12 oz. pasta, use about 1 lb. shrimp.
Flavor factors
To give the pasta that intense flavor, use a mix of whole and peeled shrimp. When the sauce is almost ready, remove the shrimp heads and crush them with a potato masher to extract all those internal juices to add to the sauce.
Linguine with shrimp and zucchini
The bianca version of this pasta is made with zucchini and a pinch of saffron. First, dilute a pinch of saffron in a little water. Prepare the zucchini by cutting into rounds and browning the pieces in a pan with a shallot and oil. Add the shrimps halfway through cooking and simmer with a little white wine until reduced. Once the alcohol has been absorbed, add the diluted saffron, salt, and chopped parsley.