Pasta is always a winning dish at our house. Sometime though, I often forget how a simple addition of shrimps to it, cooked in a simple olive oil with garlic, lemon juice, and garlic can turn everyday pasta into such a luxurious treat. This is probably one of those dishes that I often order in a restaurant since we don’t cook them enough at home. But this dish takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish, and that already includes cooking the pasta.

If you have access to a good seafood counter, I’d recommend purchasing the shrimps already peeled and deveined (with tail-on). This will save you a ton of time at home in getting them cleaned  and ready to cook.  Also, since the sauce goes together very quickly, I recommend that all of the ingredients (herbs, lemon juice, wine etc) are measured and set aside so that they are ready to go. I love garlic, so I add a generous amount of it to my version below – but you can also reduce that by half, and replace them with shallots.

Ingredients
1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
7 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Adapted from Tyler Florence via Food Network