Happy National Pasta Day! Although there are hundreds of pasta shapes and almost an infinite variety of ways to prepare them, it’s hard to go wrong with good old-fashioned shrimp scampi served on a bed of linguine. Since this is such a simple dish, use the best-quality shrimp you can find.
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. (500 g) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 oz. (375 g) linguine
1/4 cup (1/3 oz./10 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the butter and the 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté just until it begins to soften but not brown, about 1 minute, taking care not to let it burn.
Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook the shrimp, flipping once about halfway through, until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes total.
Meanwhile, add the linguine to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) of the cooking water, and set aside.
Add the linguine to the frying pan and stir in the parsley and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, add the reserved pasta-cooking water, a tablespoon at a time, and let cook for another minute or two while the sauce thickens a bit.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with a final drizzle of olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Serve right away. Serves 4 to 6.
For this and more ideas for pasta dishes you’ll want to serve every night of the week, check out our new Pasta Night, by Kate McMillan
