Pasta w/Garlicky Shrimp

By mariannefeldman

Garlicky Shrimp Pasta
From America's Test Kitchen Season 10: Who Wants Pasta?

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
In theory, garlic shrimp pasta has all the makings of an ideal weeknight meal—just toss a few quick-cooking ingredients with boiled pasta. In reality, delicate shrimp cooks fast, which translates to overcooked in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, garlic can become overbearing or bitter, depending on how it’s treated. Add to that the challenge of getting a brothy sauce to coat the pasta, and this simple recipe turns into a precarious balancing act. We wanted it all: al dente pasta and moist shrimp bound by a supple sauce infused with a deep garlic flavor. For the best flavor and texture, we prefer to buy individually quick-frozen shrimp and thaw them ourselves. We settled on extra-large shrimp and marinated them with minced garlic before a quick sauté in garlic oil (olive oil we simmered with smashed garlic cloves). We also cut each shrimp into thirds before cooking to ensure that every bite of pasta had a tasty morsel of shrimp. With sweet low notes from the infused oil and brasher high notes from the minced garlic, we finally had a balanced, deeply layered garlic flavor. As for the sauce, to deglaze the pan, tasters preferred the clean taste of vermouth or white wine; bottled clam broth added complexity to the sauce. Using a chunky tubular pasta instead of traditional linguine made it easy to find the shrimp. To get the sauce to cling to the pasta, we simply stirred flour into the oil as a thickener just before adding the vermouth and clam juice and tossed in some cold butter to finish. (less)


WATCH THIS RECIPE
Delicate shrimp, volatile garlic, and a whole mess of oil—what could possibly go wrong?
Watch the Video
Serves 4

Ingredients

• Marinate the shrimp while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• INGREDIENTS
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons), plus 4 medium cloves, smashed
• 1 pound large shrimp (21-25), peeled, deveined, each shrimp cut into 3 pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Table salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound pasta in short, tubular shapes, such as fusilli, campanelle, or mezze rigatoni
• 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine
• 3/4 cup clam juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Toss 2 teaspoons minced garlic, shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Let shrimp marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.

2. Heat 4 smashed garlic cloves and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to remove garlic from skillet; discard garlic. Set skillet aside.

3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and transfer pasta back to Dutch oven.

4. While pasta cooks, return skillet with oil to medium heat; add shrimp with marinade to skillet in single layer. Cook shrimp, undisturbed, until oil starts to bubble gently, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir shrimp and continue to cook until almost cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to medium bowl. Add remaining 3 teaspoons minced garlic and pepper flakes to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute; stir in vermouth and cook for 1 minute. Add clam juice and parsley; cook until mixture starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice. Add shrimp and sauce to pasta, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick. Season with black pepper. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

TECHNIQUE
ALL CLAMMED UP
We sampled three brands of bottled clam juice and found the fresh, bright taste of Bar Harbor boosted our pasta’s seafood flavor best, keeping the shrimp from getting stranded in a sea of garlic.


TOP CLAM JUICE