Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients:
2 lbs shrimp including their shells
1 lemon
½ bunch of parsley
2 tablespoons of butter
¼ cup white wine (any dry wine)
5 garlic cloves (minced)
1 lb linguine or spaghetti pasta
4 tbsp olive oil
Seasoning:
Salt to taste and to salt the pasta water
1 tsp. Red crushed pepper flakes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. Italian Spice
Instructions:
Peal and clean the shrimp. Wash shrimp and shells with cold water.
In a 6-quart pot, boil the shrimp shells to create a flavorful broth for cooking the pasta noodles later. Later you can drain the shrimp water into another pan through a colander or wrap them in a gauze bundle, for easy removal out of the pot. While the shells are cooking, remember to skim off the froth that will rise to the surface.
In the meantime, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan. I use a simple cast iron pan for this recipe.
Cooking the shrimp quickly on both sides, roughly 1-2 minutes per side, season it with a pinch of salt, dried parsley and oregano.
If all the shrimp don’t fit into your pan, cook it in batches to provide even cooking.
Once the shrimp are cooked, add a bit more olive oil and add minced garlic to the pan for 30 seconds, then butter and shrimp back to the pan. Add wine, juice of one lemon and chopped parsley (reserve a tablespoon for adding to the finished dish later) to the pan. Mix shrimp in the butter sauce for 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
Remove the cooked shrimp and set aside.
Remove the shrimp shells from the pot of water, add a tablespoon of salt and toss in your pasta.
Make sure to stir the pasta until the water comes back to boiling. About 2 min from the pasta being done, as is indicated on the package or a taste test, through it with a ladle or two of pasta water into the sauce pan and stir until fully cooked.
Place your noodles on a plate add a heaping scoop of shrimp, a touch of parley and enjoy!
Health Benefits:
Shrimp is a lean, low calorie protein rich food. Like other seafood it is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce heart disease. A serving of shrimp about 3 oz, contains 19 grams of protein and only 100 calories.
Shrimp have a negative reputation of being high in cholesterol, however according to the latest research, cholesterol consumed has little to no bearing on your blood cholesterol levels. The main culprit of driving your blood cholesterol levels high is your genetics.
