Ah, Monday. The weekend goes by so fast! I braved the work day, and got home and got right to cooking dinner. I was thinking shrimp because it’s been a while since I had shrimp, and I’ve been wanting to try this recipe by Melissa d’Arabian of Ten Dollar Dinners. I watched an episode of her show and was instantly a fan of the concept of low cost, easy dinners that seem like gourmet meals!
I made the Lemony Shrimp Scampi pasta dish and thankfully I had most ingredients.
Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta (from Melissa d’Arabian) – Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or grated
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 pound medium shrimp (21 to 25), peeled, deveined and butterflied (reserve shells)
- 1/4 onion
- 3/4 pound thin linguini
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small bunch parsley, leaves chopped (unfortunately, I didn’t have any of this on hand)
How I Made It:
First, I took out the shrimp from the freezer and put it in a bowl of water to defrost. While that was defrosting, I cut up 6 garlic cloves, since I don’t have a grater. It took me a while to peel and chop, which made me come to the conclusion I need to pick up a garlic press or grater. I then put together the marinade which consists of the garlic, 1 lemon – add juice and zest (which I also didn’t add either), olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
I went back to the bowl of defrosting shrimp and peeled them, placing them into the bowl of marinade. I took the peels and put them into another small pot, added some water and the onion to make shrimp stock. While that was simmering, I added water to another pot for the pasta to cook in. When the water started to boil, I added some salt, followed by the pasta. I used vermicelli since that was the only thin pasta I had.
By then, the shrimp stock should’ve been done, and the pasta needs to boil for about 4-5 minutes. I then turned the stove off, and took a 1/2 cup of pasta water and 1 cup of shrimp stock, and set it aside. By this time, it’s time to cook the shrimp. I heated another pan and once it was heated, I put the shrimp into the pan and cooked until pink and carmelized. I added in the rest of the marinade from the bowl and let it cook for a minute. Then I added the pasta water and shrimp stock and let it cook altogether until it becomes it thickened. Then I added the butter and lemon juice. And finally, I added the shrimp and pasta and let it cook together for a few more minutes. Yay! Food is done, and can be served immediately in a bowl.
End Result:


If you like lemony, shrimp combined with pasta, you’ll definitely love this dish. It even has a spicy kick to it because of the red pepper flakes which makes the dish even more divine. The best part is, most ingredients are usually on hand if you have a fully stocked kitchen!