Buttery, garlicky, irresistible shrimp scampi—but make it pasta. We like how the heat from the red pepper flakes cuts through all the richness in this dish, but if you’re spice-sensitive, hold back half of the chile (you can always serve more on the side). This recipe calls for frozen shrimp, which we're huge fans of. You never have to wonder how long they've been sitting on ice at the seafood counter, and they thaw in no time at all, making them a great weeknight protein option to have in your back pocket. (Err...freezer. Freezer is definitely a better place for shrimp than your back pocket.)
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen large peeled and deveined shrimp
- kosher salt
- 1 medium onion
- 7 garlic cloves - divided
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
- ¾ cup panko
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - divided, plus more for drizzling
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter - (1 stick) divided
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 pound fettuccine
Instructions
Prepare the shrimp:
- Thaw that shrimp! Place an unopened 1-pound bag of shrimp in a large bowl and fill with cool water. Place a heavy plate on top to submerge until thawed, about 45 minutes. If you're the kind of person who actually thinks about dinner more than a few hours before you're going to make it, you can also let the shrimp thaw overnight in the fridge. Alternatively, if you're in a hurry, take the shrimp out of the bag and let them soak in a big bowl of cold water—they'll be ready in about 15 minutes. However you thaw them, make sure to pat them dry before proceeding.
- Season shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit until ready to use.
- While all that's happening, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- This dish comes together quite quickly, so you're going to want to have all of your prep done before you start cooking.
Prepare the ingredients:
- Peel 1 medium onion, then finely chop it so that all of the pieces are about the size of lentils. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Using a Microplane, grate 5 garlic cloves right into the bowl.
- Finely grate the zest of ½ lemon right into the bowl.
- Coarsely chop 1 cup of parsley leaves with tender stems and transfer to a separate small bowl and set aside.
Toast the panko:
- Heat ¾ cup of panko, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring to coat the panko.
- Grate the remaining 2 garlic cloves into the pot and stir to combine.
- Cook, stirring often, until the panko is golden brown, 3–4 minutes.
- Transfer the panko mixture to a small bowl. Let cool.
- Wipe out any panko stuck to bottom of the pot.
Cook the shrimp:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat until just beginning to shimmer and you can see wisps of smoke.
- Cook the shrimp, undisturbed, until golden brown on the underside, 2–3 minutes.
- Turn with tongs and continue to cook until the shrimp is barely cooked through, about 15 seconds longer (the shrimp will keep cooking as it sits, and we’re going to add them back into the pot later so they’ll get a chance to finish cooking there—err on the side of undercooked).
- Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Make the sauce:
- Add the onion mixture, 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and softened but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Add ¾ cup of dry white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, some of the harsh alcohol scent cooks off, and the sauce is thick and glossy, 2–3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta:
- Drop 1 pound of fettuccine into the boiling water and set a timer according to package directions for al dente.
- Scoop out 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid.
- Pull off and discard the tails of the shrimp while the pasta cooks, then cut each shrimp into 3 pieces.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the Dutch oven along with the reserved pasta cooking liquid and the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until well coated and glossy, about 3 minutes.
Finish and serve:
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shrimp and reserved parsley.
- Cut 1 lemon in half and squeeze its juice into the pot (it should be about 2 tablespoons), stirring to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning for salt.
- Cut the remaining lemon into wedges for serving.
- Divide the pasta among bowls.
- Drizzle with more olive oil.
- Top with reserved panko mixture.
- Serve with lemon wedges alongside.