Lemon garlic shrimp linguine
Linguine tossed with garlicky shrimp, chile, lemon and a buttery pasta-water sauce, finished with plenty of parsley. Bright, simple and fast.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 13 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 800 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Bring a large covered pot of water to a boil over high heat (an electric kettle speeds this up). Once it's at a rolling boil, salt it well and cook the linguine until al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes. Prep the garlic, lemon and parsley while it cooks.
When the pasta has about 5 minutes left, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook gently until the garlic is pale gold.
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the shrimp with a pinch of salt and cook, turning once, until pink and curled.
Scoop out a mug of pasta water, then drain the linguine and add it to the shrimp with the butter, lemon zest, half the lemon juice and a good splash of pasta water. Toss over the heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the pasta.
Toss through the parsley, then taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper. Loosen with more pasta water if needed and serve straight away.
Tips
- Don't skip the pasta water. The starch is what turns the butter and oil into a silky sauce instead of a greasy one.
- Pull the shrimp out early if the pasta isn't ready; they'll finish cooking when tossed back in.
- Use gluten-free linguine to make it gluten-free, and swap the butter for more olive oil for dairy-free.
