Lemon Garlic Shrimp Linguine
Shrimp scampi-style linguine with a pan sauce emulsified with starchy pasta water.
Method · 10 steps
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily — it should taste like mild seawater. Cook linguine 1 minute under al dente per package directions.
- 2
Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Wet shrimp steam instead of sear.
- 3
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Add olive oil and swirl.
- 4
When oil shimmers, add shrimp in a single layer. Cook 60 seconds, flip, cook 30 more seconds until just opaque. Transfer to a plate — they'll carry over. Shrimp overcook fast; 90 seconds total is the window.
- 5
Reduce heat to medium. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes to the same pan. Cook 45 seconds until garlic turns pale gold — any darker and it's bitter.
- 6
Pour in white wine and scrape the fond off the bottom. Reduce by half, about 90 seconds.
- 7
Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain linguine.
- 8
Add drained linguine and 1/2 cup pasta water to the skillet. Toss 60 seconds to let the noodles finish cooking in the sauce.
- 9
Off heat, add cold butter cubes one at a time, tossing constantly. The cold butter emulsifies with the starchy water into a glossy sauce. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining salt, and parsley.
- 10
Return shrimp to the pan and toss. Plate with parmesan if using and serve immediately.
Chef's notes
- →High heat for 30 seconds, not 2 minutes, or shrimp go rubbery. They keep cooking on the plate.
- →Cold butter off heat is the emulsification key — hot butter just melts into an oil slick.
- →Save that pasta water. It's liquid starch and it's the difference between pooled sauce and a clinging one.
Storage
Best fresh. Leftovers 2 days, reheat over low with 2 tbsp water to re-loosen the sauce.
