Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Walnut Pesto

I recently made this dish because I was looking for something different to eat. I combined a few techniques and recipes to make it happen and it turned out better than I hoped for. For those of you who might be allergic to shrimp, you can substitute with you favorite meat, fish, vegetable or even tofu. I haven’t tried this with any of these yet but when I do, I’ll definitively let you know. Here’s my take on shrimp pasta with walnut pesto. 3-4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. of thawed packaged uncooked shrimp. You can definitely use raw shrimp in it’s shell, but you need to clean it prior to use.
• 3 Tbsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 quart cold water
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 8 garlic cloves, sliced not crushed
• 1 Tbs. olive oil or your preference
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper or red pepper flakes if you want a little heat in it.
• 1 cup white wine

1. First, clean your shrimp and remove shells. If using fresh, make sure you devein it. Next, I made a brine for the shrimp. This will help to keep them nice and juicy when cooked. Get a container that will hold a quart of water. Add the salt and sugar. Stir until it completely dissolved. Now add the cleaned and shelled shrimp, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

2. Next, I made a brine for the shrimp. This will help to keep them nice and juicy when cooked. Get a container that will hold a quart of water. Add the salt and sugar. Stir until it completely dissolved. Now add the cleaned and shelled shrimp, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan in medium heat. Fry the shells in the oil for about 2-3 minutes. When shells are pink and spotting, add 1 cup white wine. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add thyme springs or seeds and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Drain the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.

5. Strain stock and set aside. Add 1 tbsp. oil, heat on medium and when oil begins to heat up, add the garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes making garlic oil, being careful to watch over it because garlic can burn quickly.

6. Add the shrimp stock you made earlier to the pan and the pepper flakes for a little heat, if you, wish at this point. Now add the shrimp, cover and poach on medium low heat for about 4-5 minutes.

7. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and shrimp to a separate plate. You can use the shrimp stock to boil and noodles or rice you wish to serve with the shrimp. I used it along with the walnut pesto I made to season the spaghetti I cooked earlier.

8. The shrimp is ready to be eaten as you wish. I served it along with the pesto spaghetti. It came out quite tasty and it was simple to make. I hope you give this a try or perhaps make a variety of it for a dinner soon. If you did, please share in the comments below. Thank you for stopping by and Buen Provecho!