Zesty Shrimp with Walnut Pesto Linguini
I was out of pine nuts so I substituted them with walnuts and loved it! You will have half the pesto leftover to use another time.
I was out of pine nuts so I substituted them with walnuts and loved it! You will have half the pesto leftover to use another time.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz dried linguini
- 16 jumbo jumbo shrimp peeled, cleaned and butterflied, (up to 20)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- pesto sauce:
- 1 oz parmasen reggiano cubed
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 1/2 c olive oil
- Carbohydrate 33.46686798526 g
- Cholesterol 90.527303726 mg
- Fat 38.6650155626 g
- Fiber 0.816850015759468 g
- Protein 16.20071337522 g
- Saturated Fat 5.944323746536 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (139g)
- Sodium 251.693127012 mg
- Sugar 32.6500179695005 g
- Trans Fat 1.86768476065801 g
- Calories 540 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare the Pesto sauce: In a food processor add the cheese, garlic cloves and walnut. Pulse until they are rough chopped, add the basil and salt and pepper. While the processor is running slowly add the olive oil, taste for salt & pepper and texture. Add salt and pepper and olive oil as needed. Set aside.
- Boil and drain Linguini, reserve a half cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, add reserved water and about a 1/2 c of the pesto, keep warm.
- In a frying pan on high heat, heat 1 tbs olive oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add the crushed red pepper flakes. Place the shrimp in the pan with the butterflied side down, searing for about 1 minute. Stir the shrimp, add salt and pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp is nice and pink.
- Plate the pasta, place shrimp on top and garnish with some freshly grated parmesan and some chopped walnuts if desired.
Sear the butterflied shrimp in a frying pan on high heat for exactly one minute on the initial side to build a clean crust before turning. Walnuts replace pine nuts in this variation, yielding a distinct, earthier flavor profile and a slightly heavier mouthfeel due to different oil content within the nut structure. Fresh basil leaves supply bright aromatic compounds that degrade rapidly upon boiling or prolonged exposure to air, making raw processing in a food processor essential for maximum volatile oil retention. Parmesan reggiano provides structural umami through naturally occurring glutamates, though omitted dairy can be substituted with nutritional yeast at a one-to-one ratio for those avoiding lactose. Reserve a half cup of starchy pasta cooking water before draining the linguini; starches suspended in this liquid bind the olive oil emulsion cleanly to the noodle surface without requiring extra fat. Dried pasta requires precise boiling timing monitored against package instructions to prevent structural collapse of the exterior starch matrix. Extra pesto sauce yields a generous quantity that requires airtight refrigeration within two hours of preparation to prevent oxidation of the fresh garlic and basil components.
