Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Quick answer
Creamy garlic shrimp pasta begins with a slow, low-heat saute of minced garlic in olive oil and butter.
What makes this special
- Sautéing garlic low and slow prevents bitterness and preserves sweet depth for the pasta.
- Stopping garlic at pale yellow keeps its sweetness and aroma without any bitterness
- Cooking shrimp for only about 2 minutes and removing keeps the sweetness and snap at peak
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Cook 180 g spaghetti in well-salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package time.
- 2 Pat 220 g shrimp dry, then season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- 3 Warm 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a pan over low heat.
Creamy garlic shrimp pasta begins with a slow, low-heat saute of minced garlic in olive oil and butter. The garlic should be pulled when it turns pale gold rather than brown, which preserves its sweet, mellow depth without any bitterness. Shrimp go in next and cook for roughly two minutes in total, just long enough for both sides to turn pink. At that point the flesh is at its sweetest and the texture is still springy. The shrimp come out of the pan and rest while heavy cream goes in, simmering over medium-low heat for two to three minutes. During that simmer the garlic-infused fat and the shrimp juices left in the pan dissolve into the cream, building the sauce's depth without any additional flavoring. Spaghetti is boiled one minute short of the package time so it finishes cooking in the sauce rather than on its own. Grated Parmesan and a small ladle of pasta water go in together, and the mixture is tossed until the cheese melts into a smooth, silky coating that clings evenly to the noodles. The reserved shrimp return for a final thirty seconds of warming, just enough to heat through without firming up, so every bite carries both the tender sweetness of the seafood and the rich, savory garlic cream.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Cook 180 g spaghetti in well-salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package time.
Save a little pasta water before draining so the sauce can be loosened later if it thickens too much.
- 2Season
Pat 220 g shrimp dry, then season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Finely mince 5 garlic cloves and keep them ready, since the garlic needs gentle heat and should not wait in a hot pan.
- 3Control
Warm 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a pan over low heat.
Add the minced garlic and stir until it smells sweet and turns pale gold, stopping before it browns and becomes bitter.
- 4Control
Spread the shrimp in the garlic-scented pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes total.
Turn once, and remove them as soon as both sides turn pink so they stay springy.
- 5Control
Pour 180 ml heavy cream into the same pan and simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Scrape the bottom as it bubbles gently so the garlic fat and shrimp juices blend into the cream.
- 6Finish
Add the spaghetti and 35 g grated parmesan, then loosen with pasta water 1-2 tbsp at a time until the sauce coats the noodles.
Return the shrimp for 30 seconds, taste, and finish with black pepper.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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