Shrimp is one of those ingredients that can make the simplest dish look elegant, and this dish is no exception. Like most Giada dishes, it utilizes very basic every day ingredients to create something that tastes divine enough to serve to special guests. And it cooks up pretty quick.
Neither Jeff nor I are big fans of arugula, so we opted to omit it from our version, and we instead added some green by serving it with our grilled lemon and parmesan broccoli. It would also pair nicely with a fresh green salad.
When I came across this recipe, I thought it would end up being lower in Points than it turned out to be. Even though I cut the oil in half from what was on the original recipe, it still utilizes too much oil to make this a regular item on my menu, but I will certainly keep it on my menu for special occasions.
- For the lemon oil:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested
- For the pasta:
- 1 pound linguine pasta (we use whole wheat)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 ounces frozen shrimp
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups) (we omitted)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- For the lemon oil:
- Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.
- For the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
