Pasta for dinner! This Shrimp Scampi Reef adds peas, lemon and fresh mint for a pasta dinner that’s spring-ready.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Shrimp are magical in a dish like this. They are pretty and curvy and juicy. Toss them with spaghetti, some ricotta, peas, lemon, and mint, and you have a scampi-style pasta that’s perfect for spring.
Look for large or frozen king prawns
I call the plump shrimp in this dish scampi because they’re the largest on the market — sometimes labeled “large” or “jumbo,” or with a number like “16/20” (meaning 16 to 20 pieces in a pound ). ). When shrimp are the main protein in the pasta, you want large chunks so they stand out.
In New England, where I live, most shrimp are raised elsewhere and flown in frozen. If like me you don’t have access to fresh shrimp, head into the frozen section of the market and find a bag of frozen shrimp. This is often a better and fresher choice than the “previously frozen” shrimp that the market has thawed and displayed in the seafood box.
Another plus for frozen shrimp: They’re usually frozen individually, so you can pour as you like for one dish, thaw yourself, and put any unused one back in the freezer for another meal.
Bags of frozen shrimp are also usually cheaper per pound than the shrimp in the fish box.
A quick meal on busy nights
This makes it an ideal dish for evenings when you don’t have much time to cook. Let the shrimp work their magic nestled with peas on lemon and mint scented spaghetti strands.
More ways to enjoy shrimp for dinner
- Classic shrimp scampi
- fried rice with shrimp
- Prawns and Grits
- Easy Coconut Shrimp Curry
- Shrimp pasta alla vodka
Spring shrimp scampi with peas and mint
ingredients
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1 lb thin spaghetti
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3 tablespoon olive oil
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1 clove garliccut in half
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1 1/2 lb large shrimppeeled and deveined
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1/2 teaspoon Saltdivided
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1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepperor more to taste
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1 cup (8th ounces) Whole milk ricotta
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3 tablespoon fresh Parselychopped
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grated citrus peel from 1 lemon
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1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) frozen peasrinsed with cold water to thaw
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2 tablespoon fresh whole mint leaves
method
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Cook spaghetti:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the pasta is tender but still has some bite.
Using a heatproof measuring cup, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of starchy pasta cooking water. Drain the spaghetti and return to the pan without rinsing. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss well and set aside. Reserve the remaining pasta cooking water.
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Cook shrimp:
In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until shrimp start to turn light pink; They will not be fully cooked at this point. Scoop out and remove the garlic. Add the shrimp and chilli flakes to the saucepan with the noodles.
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Finish the dish:
Place the pot of pasta over low heat. Add ricotta, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup remaining pasta cooking liquid.
Cook, stirring gently, until liquid is heated and shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add more of the reserved pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Add the peas and mint and toss gently until the peas are hot.
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Surcharge:
Divide among 4 shallow bowls and serve.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 348 | calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 36g | carbohydrates |
| 29g | protein |
