Garlicky and Lemony Shrimp Linguine

When we talk about spaghetti sauce, the immediate responses are usually tomatoey marinara and creamy alfredo. For more advanced eaters, the answers are broadened a wee bit into nutty pesto and spicy arrabiata. I found that most of the commonly known sauce are the very hearty ones and sometimes that can translate into a plate of heavy tasting meal.

With a big ambition in mind, I wanna tell these people that there are numerous light and flavorful pasta dishes out there that have long been underestimated by the public. A delicious Italian meal doesn't have to be overload with cheese nor packed with meat balls and sausages every bite. This is how I do it -

Ingredients (for 2 to 3 portion)?

30 shrimps (peeled and deveined)
1 zucchini
1 ripe tomato
1 lemon
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/3 cup of dry white wine
Some red pepper flakes
Some linguine
Water

How?

Let's start with some prep work first,
Peel and mince the garlic,
Peel the zucchini and cut into small cubes,
Also dice the tomato into small cubes, save the juice for the pasta sauce,
Peel and devein the shrimps -

Bring a big pot of water into a boil then add a few pinches of sea salt to flavor the water,
Cook the linguine till almost al dente in texture, drain well and set aside,
We'll finish cooking it once mix together with the sauce.

Drizzle some olive oil in a big pan, turn to medium high heat,
Toss in chopped garlic, some red pepper flakes if desired, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper,
Cook for a short moment, before the garlic gets burned, add in the shrimps and Italian seasoning.

Give it a quick stir and sear the shrimps for about one minute, pour in some dry white wine.
Add the zucchini and tomato, season with more salt and pepper.

Usually I would cook the shrimps after the vegetables to prevent tough chewy texture from happening, but I find the shrimps to be more aromatic if I cook them first. On top of that, if the shrimps are very fresh, the texture usually remains even after simmering in heat for a while.

Bring the whole mixture to a boil then simmer for couple minutes,
Add the spaghetti along with the juice of 1 lemon,
Remember to zest the lemon first and save it for later use.

Cook the whole mixture in medium heat till the pasta reaches desired doneness,
Taste it and see if more salt is needed,
Transfer onto a plate, sprinkle some black pepper and lemon zest before serving -

Buon appetito!

Cindy's Rating: 8