Garlic Shrimp Mafaldine
Here, author Odette Williams tried to recreate the sizzling garlic shrimp from Trieste, the Italian restaurant of her childhood in Australia. Look for shrimp with the heads on, since they add so much flavor to the sauce and give it a gorgeous coral-pink hue. Wavy ribbons of mafaldine ,or the curly nooks and crannies of trumpet-shaped campanelle allow the shrimp to nestle into every bite. Honestly, use whatever pasta tickles your fancy. Showered with the garlic butter and chile bread crumbs, it’s gorgeous. The heady aroma of butter, garlic and shrimp cooking is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so enjoy!
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the garlic butter and chile bread crumbs:
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
For the pasta:
- 1½ pounds large whole raw shrimp, with shells, heads and tails on
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 large shallots, finely diced
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cloves garlic, finely grated
- ⅔ cup dry white wine
- Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound dried campanelle, mafaldine, or angel hair pasta
Instructions
- Make the garlic butter and chile bread crumbs: In a skillet over medium heat, sauté bread crumbs with butter and grated garlic, stirring often, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Stir in crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Cut off head of each shrimp and set aside. Peel shrimp and discard tails and shells. Use a sharp knife to make a shallow cut lengthwise along the back of each shrimp, and devein by removing the digestive tract with the tip of the knife. Cut each shrimp into three segments.
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt together butter and olive oil. Add shallots and red pepper flakes, and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add reserved shrimp heads and continue to sauté occasionally pressing down slightly on heads with a wooden spoon to release juices, 4 minutes more. Remove and discard heads and any rogue bits of shell.
- Increase heat to medium-high, add shrimp and garlic, and sauté until shrimp are just pink, just a couple of minutes. Add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, chive and ½ cup parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until wine has reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Keep warm.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Use a large spider or slotted spoon to transfer cooked pasta to shrimp sauce along with about ½ cup pasta water, and toss to coat. Serve pasta sprinkled with garlic butter and chile bread crumbs and garnished with remaining ½ cup parsley.