This shrimp pasta is one of the most impressive seafood dishes I’ve had! It is rich in flavor, bright and lemony, and full of garlic, a beautiful shrimp stock made simply of white wine and the shrimp shells. Everything is tossed with pasta, pasta water to help create a starchy consistency for the sauce, and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano!
Shrimp pasta is a dish my mom has made many times over the years, and it was the first dish that actually made me love shrimp!
This recipe is inspired by the dish she always made, with a few changes to make it my own.
In this dish, we utilize the entire shrimp, including the shells, to create a deep flavor throughout the entire dish. Every bite has pops of bright lemony flavor, garlic, fresh herbs, and a little butter to add some richness. The shrimp and the sauce are then tossed with ribbon-shaped pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano for a salty, cheesy finish.
It is restaurant-worthy in every way and truly the best shrimp pasta you could make!
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and measurements.
Shrimp – I like to use frozen Jumbo shrimp unless I have quality fresh shrimp available. This recipe utilizes the shells to make a stock, so I recommend shrimp that hasn’t already been de-shelled.
Lemon – an essential flavor in any scampi recipe. Freshly squeezed juice is best!
White wine – the wine makes up most of the liquid in the sauce. We like to use Pinot Grigio or any quality white wine.
Garlic and shallots – these aromatics add lots of flavor to the sauce!
Butter and olive oil – a combination of these is perfect for cooking the aromatics and adding richness to the sauce.
Fresh Parsley – for fresh, bright flavor added at the end!
Seasonings – to add heat to the recipe, you’ll need red pepper flakes and black pepper for a subtle kick of heat. Sugar and salt are also used to brine the shrimp!
Pasta and cheese – to serve this with pasta, you’ll need a pasta shape of your choice and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
How to Make it
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1
Remove the shrimp shells (save them for the stock). Use your hands to remove the shrimp shells and tails from the shrimp, then place the shells in a large saucepan to cook later for the stock.
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2
Devein the shrimp. If the shrimp is not already deveined, slice is down the center and use your knife to devein the shrimp down the back.
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3
Brine the shrimp. While you’re slicing and cleaning the shrimp, add the shrimp to a bowl of ice cold water with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Once finished, you can place the shrimp in the fridge to stay cold while you prepare the sauce. This step can be skipped, but it adds lots of flavor to the shrimp. If you do skip it, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the sauce for flavor.
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4
Make the shrimp stock. Use your leftover shrimp shells to make a stock. First, heat the shrimp shells in a pan with oil and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat, slowly add the wine and stir, then add it back to the heat and cover. Let the shells and wine cook for about 4-5 minutes. Then strain the shells and reserve the sauce for later.
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5
Sauté the garlic. In the same pan you cooked the stock, carefully wipe out any grit from the shells on the bottom, then heat the pan with olive oil. Wait for it to heat up, then add the garlic, and cook for about 1 minute, then add the red pepper flakes.
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6
Make the sauce. Add the shrimp stock, lemon juice, with a healthy pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Then add the cold butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing constantly until they melt into the sauce.
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7
Cook the shrimp in the sauce. Using tongs, remove the shrimp from the brine and transfer them to the sauce. Cover and let them cook for 4-5 minutes if they’re jumbo shrimp, or 2-3 minutes for smaller shrimp.
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8
Season with parsley. Once the shrimp is done it will be opaque in color. Top it with the minced fresh parsley.
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9
Serve with pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package, reserve about 2 cups of pasta water then drain the rest of the water. With the shrimp pan on super low heat, toss the pasta in with the shrimp and the sauce until the sauce has coated the pasta noodles, then add 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano with a splash of pasta water. Toss and add more pasta water as needed. Then add the last 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano with more pasta water (if needed), and toss until the shrimp pasta is creamy and has a luscious sauce. Serve with more fresh parsley and Parm!
Tips for Success
Keep the shrimp cold while prepping – once you peel the shrimp and make the stock, be sure the shrimp in the salt and sugar brine are either in ice water or refrigerated.
Use quality shrimp – we recommend using shrimp from the Gulf or Key West for the best quality. These are widely available in many markets and typically are frozen.
How to know the shrimp is cooked – once it turns an opaque or light pink color, you’ll know it’s fully cooked. This recipe calls for poaching the shrimp, typically taking 4-5 minutes for the jumbo shrimp we used to cook thoroughly. If you’re using small shrimp, these will only take 2-3 minutes.
Use quality white wine, not cooking wine – since most of the sauce is made from white wine; it’s essential to use quality white wine. This doesn’t mean using your most expensive wine, but one you would drink! We recommend dry whites like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Please do not use non-alcoholic cooking wine or sweet wines!
Shrimp pasta can be served with any type of pasta – tagliatelle, linguine, spaghetti, or even pappardelle. Even though seafood and cheese rarely go together, this dish is one exception. We love to serve this with pasta and lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano! Trust us on this one. Oh, and a little crusty bread wouldn’t hurt on the side either!
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 18-20 shell-on jumbo shrimp
For the sauce
- 1 1/4 cup dry white wine, I used Pinot Grigio
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 8-10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 Tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- salt to taste
For the brine
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 Tablespoon sugar
The pasta
- 1 lb dry pasta I like tagliatelle, pappardelle, linguine, or angel hair
- 1 1/2 cups pasta water, see notes
Instructions
- Remove the shrimp shells and tails: Remove the shrimp shells and tails from the shrimp and reserve them for the stock in a seperate bowl.
- Devein the shrimp. Use a pairing knife to slice down the back of the shrimp, and use your knife to remove the vein down the back or wipe with a paper towel.
- Brine the shrimp. While you're slicing and cleaning the shrimp, add them to a bowl of ice-cold water mixed with one tablespoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. Once finished, place the bowl of shrimp and brine in the fridge to chill.
- Make the shrimp stock. First, heat the shrimp shells in a large saucepan with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the heat, slowly add the wine, and stir, then add it back to the heat and cover. Let the shells and wine simmer gently for about 4-5 minutes. Set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl, strain the shells, and reserve the wine.
- Sauté the shallot and garlic. In the same pan you cooked the stock, carefully wipe out any grit from the shells on the bottom. Then heat the pan on low with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes for the last 30 seconds.
- Make the sauce. Next, add the shrimp stock, lemon juice, black pepper, and a healthy pinch of salt. Slowly add the butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly as it melts.
- Cook the shrimp in the sauce. Using tongs, remove the shrimp from the brine (no need to pat them dry) just shake off any excess water and transfer them to the sauce. Cover and let them cook for 4-5 minutes if they're jumbo shrimp or 2-3 minutes for smaller shrimp. Then, add the fresh parsley at the end. Note: you'll know the shrimp is cooked once it turns an opaque color.
- Serve with pasta. While the shrimp cooks, cook the pasta in a pot of well-salted water, just shy of "al dente," according to the package. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan with the shrimp and the sauce, and toss together. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano and a splash of pasta water, and toss together. Then repeat with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano and additional pasta water as needed until the pasta and shrimp come together in a creamy, luscious sauce. Serve immediately with more fresh parsley if desired and Parmigiano Reggiano!
I haven’t made this yet but it sounds delicious; however, many if us don’t drink or use alcohol at all, even in cooking, as the alcohol never completely evaporates or cooks out. What do you recommend in place of the wine. I know many recipes say use chicken broth, but that will hardly give the depth of flavor I’m sure the wine imparts.
I look forward to your answer as I have some extra jumbo shrimp just begging to be cooked.
By the way, do you pat dry the shrimp when taking them out of the cold brine or just shake them off and into the sauce?
Hi Kristine, I totally understand. For awhile, I avoided cooking with wine because I don’t drink. Only recently did I start cooking with it in recipes that classically call for the wine. However, I’ve always swapped wine for broth in a lot of recipes (including my lemon rosemary chicken and potatoes, and my chicken piccata). I think you could do a good chicken stock in this recipe, or maybe with a little bit of non alcoholic white wine. If you try one of these let me know! I think it will taste delicious with either, because a lot of the flavor comes from the garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon. Hope this helps!!