zillenial nest

Series introduction:

My feelings about pasta come in two wildly different forms, ironically, both stemming from core college memories.

First, are the memories of late-nights writing papers, running about too and fro between campus and my off-campus apartment, and rushed dinners for one of jarred pasta sauce and bags of penne, cooked on tiny stovetops cranked to max heat. In this time of my life, pasta was the ultimate utilitarian food, the bare sustenance of a busy, work-loaded life.

Funnily enough, in those same years of my life, pasta also became a food associated with memories entirely romantic as well, evoking the summer of college I spent in Rome, studying art and history by day, and spending warm starry nights eating pasta dinners al fresco on cobblestoned streets.

But I suppose that is the magic of pasta. It’s a food that can be so efficient and economical because of the simplicity of ingredients and the speed of the cook time. It’s also a food of whimsical delight, because the surprise of what flavor the noodle swirl on your fork carries follows the spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment decisions you make when cooking with what you have on hand.

Today’s Pasta:

This pasta recipe is actually my husband’s brainchild, stemming from an impulse decision to buy a Costco bag of frozen shrimp. It’s a spin on shrimp scampi by using seaweed compound butter, which adds a subtle touch of umami that pairs wonderfully with shrimp. This pasta is perfect for the summer, and simple and stress-free enough for any weeknight meal.

Seaweed Butter Shrimp Scampi Recipe:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins 

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 400g preferred pasta
  • recommended: spaghetti, linguine, angel hair
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium shallot, minced
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp seaweed compound butter (see how to make this above)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock and/or 1/4 cup white wine
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh or frozen shrimp (about 16-20)
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed, and optionally zested
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: herbs and red pepper flakes for sprinkling (We used 1/8 cup finely grated parmesan and smoked paprika in the sauce, and freshly chopped parsley for sprinkling.)

Steps:

1. Prepare your ingredients by finely mincing the garlic and shallot, and optionally squeezing/ zesting lemon, grating a little cheese, etc.
2. Boil water in a pot and when it is ready, salt, and cook the pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions for al dente. You can cook the pasta while you are making the sauce, so that when it is ready, you can throw everything together immediately.
3. To a wide pan, add garlic, shallot, and olive oil. Lightly cook at medium heat for 1-2 minutes until garlic and shallot are more translucent, but not burnt. Then, add butter, melt, and mix to combine.
4. Add chicken stock and stir a little. Then add the frozen shrimp. You can also add red pepper if using.
5. Cook shrimp until just pink. Don’t overcook, as it can become too tough. Make sure to also taste and season your sauce with salt and pepper.
6. When shrimp is just cooked, lower the heat, and add lemon juice/ zest. If using cheese, add now.
7. By now, your pasta is hopefully done cooking. Add your noodles into the sauce pan. You can also add a couple tablespoons of pasta water. Then mix everything to combine.
8. To serve, garnish with fresh herbs, pepper, and optionally, an extra lemon squeeze.

Video: (husband cooks)

Plating and Pairing:

I suggest plating these with my favorite pasta plates of all time: the Sur La Table Cloud Pasta Bowl.

I would pair this pasta with a glass of your favorite white wine or a glass of this amazing Trader Joe’s sparkling tea I was introduced to by my sister, and have now been obsessed with.

Notes:

Interested in a tomato sauce version of this recipe? Check out my Gochujang Butter Tomato Shrimp Pasta recipe next.

If you try both, let me know how it was and what your favorite was in the comments below!