Garlic Butter Shrimp Linguine (Print)

Succulent shrimp sautéed in garlic butter, tossed with perfectly cooked linguine for an elegant yet simple dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz linguine pasta

→ Sauce

03 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
05 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Finishing

09 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
11 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.
03 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for approximately 1 minute until fragrant, but not browned.
04 - Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through.
05 - Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the drained linguine and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed to loosen the sauce.
06 - Remove from heat and toss in the chopped parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like something from a restaurant but uses ingredients you probably already have.
  • The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, so theres no standing around waiting.
  • Garlic butter makes everything feel indulgent without any complicated technique.
  • Leftovers reheat surprisingly well with a splash of olive oil in the pan.
02 -
  • Save that pasta water before you drain, because plain water won't emulsify the sauce the same way and you'll end up with oily noodles instead of glossy ones.
  • Don't walk away from the garlic, it goes from perfect to burned in about fifteen seconds and there's no fixing it once it's bitter.
  • If your shrimp release a lot of liquid in the pan, you didn't dry them well enough, so next time spend an extra minute with the paper towels.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly over the pan so those oils hit the hot butter and release their fragrance immediately.
  • If you're doubling the recipe, cook the shrimp in two batches so they sear instead of steam, crowding the pan is the fastest way to ruin the texture.
  • Taste the pasta water before you salt it, it should be as salty as the ocean, because under-salted pasta is sad pasta no matter how good the sauce is.
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