Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
Shrimp cooked hard and fast, then folded into pasta with garlic butter, lemon, and a little starchy water that pulls everything into a light, clinging sauce.
- Course
- Easy Dinners
- Time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
Cooking Notes
- Dry the shrimp before they hit the skillet and cook them in a single layer. Wet or crowded shrimp release liquid, which prevents the quick browning this pasta needs.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining. Adding it a splash at a time helps the butter, lemon, and pan juices cling to the noodles instead of pooling underneath them.
- Add garlic after the shrimp have mostly cooked and lower the heat before the butter goes in. Garlic and butter both scorch quickly at the temperature used to sear shrimp.
Recipe Card
Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
By Gabriella
- Category
- Easy Dinners
- Total Time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled
- 12 oz linguine or penne
- 5 tbsp butter
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley or basil
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Get the pasta into well-salted boiling water first, and reserve a full cup of the cooking water before you drain it.
- 2
Pat the shrimp completely dry, season them, and sear them in a wide pan for barely a minute a side until just pink, then pull them out.
- 3
Lower the heat and cook the garlic in the butter until it turns pale gold and fragrant, watching closely so it never browns and turns bitter.
- 4
Add the chili flakes, lemon zest and juice, and a splash of pasta water, swirling until the butter emulsifies into a glossy sauce.
- 5
Toss in the drained pasta and shrimp, loosen with more pasta water as needed, and finish with a heap of herbs and cracked pepper.
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