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Prep time
20 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
2 to 4
Author Notes
Shrimp pasta that tastes like you’re on vacation needs little more than shrimp and pasta. This recipe calls for tiny tomatoes, fresh basil, and choose-your-own chile paste (plus butter and salt). The result is spicy, saucy, and deeply savory. Starting with shelled shrimp is easier, yes—but they cost more and give you less to work with. Approach shelling as a chance to unwind. Sway to music, toss the shells in a pot, and let them simmer with water. In a matter of minutes, you’ll have a briny stock. That is where pasta will cook, happily, yielding a starchy liquid gold to bolster the sauce. The chile paste is up to you, depending on what you have in the kitchen. Calabrian for kick, harissa for spiced warmth, gochujang for tangy funk? You tell me. And if the basil quantity sounds like overkill, well, that’s the point. In this case, it is treated less like an herby garnish, and more like a leafy green, so there’s no need to fuss over a side dish. Sounds like vacation to me. —Emma Laperruque
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Shrimp Pasta With Tomatoes, Basil & Chile Butter
Ingredients
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1 pound
(454 grams) large to extra-large shell-on shrimp
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Kosher salt, to taste
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8 ounces
(227 grams) long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine
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4 tablespoons
(57 grams) salted butter, divided
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1 tablespoon
chile paste/spread (such as Calabrian, harissa, or gochujang), plus more to taste
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1 pint
(320 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
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1 1/4 cups
(25 grams) packed basil leaves
Directions
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Turn on an album or podcast and peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on and tossing the rest of the shells into a medium pot.
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Once all the shells are in the pot, add 8 cups of water and turn on the heat to medium-high to come to a boil. Boil until reduced by one-third to one-half.
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While that boils, use a paring knife to devein the shrimp, rinsing the knife in a bowl of water as needed.
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When the stock is reduced, use a slotted spoon or small sieve to strain out and discard the shrimp shells. Generously salt the boiling water. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions.
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As soon as the pasta is in, set your largest skillet on another burner over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter to melt. Add the tomatoes and cook, swirling frequently, until starting to blister and puff, 1 to 2 minutes.
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Push the tomatoes to the perimeter of the pan, add another 1 tablespoon of butter to the center, then add the shrimp, shaking them into an even layer. Sprinkle everything with salt. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are pink and opaque, then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until pink and opaque on the other side.
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Gently toss the tomatoes and shrimp, then drop the heat to low while the pasta finishes (or turn it off if the pasta has more than 2 minutes left).
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Use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the tomatoes and shrimp. Add ½ cup of starchy shrimp stock, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and the chile paste. Toss over low to medium-low heat, adding more stock if needed, until the sauce coats the noodles and is as thick as you like (keep in mind, it’ll thicken as it sits). Give it a taste: More salt or chile paste? Adjust if needed.
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Tear the basil into pieces. Toss in most of the basil, then sprinkle the rest on top.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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