Linguine with Pesto Shrimp
What a surprise Geoff and I had when our friend, neighbor and new owner of our beloved Seacoast Resort, Teresa, arrived at our door with her homemade pesto in hand! We knew we were in for a treat and she wowed us with a scrumptious pasta dish she whipped together with luscious shrimp, her fabulous pesto and a very light, low glycemic linguine! Teresa makes her pesto from scratch with loads of organic fresh basil from our local CSA farm, Seeds and Spores; she purees the basil with garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and a dash of salt. She froze packages of this wonderful sauce and we were one of the lucky recipients of the fruits of her labor. I had the other ingredients on hand, so after a bit of prep, I watched her carefully as she quickly assembled her Linguine with Pesto Shrimp, layering each ingredient with the pasta and brightening the dish with lemon; a work of art! I made a fresh salad and we all enjoyed a fabulous, impromptu supper full of love, laughs and luscious flavor. The Sauvignon Blanc was perfect!
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small fennel bulb, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 LB raw shrimp, thawed
2&1/2 cups homemade pesto
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1LB Linguine
Zest of one lemon
Juice of two lemons
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley and lemon slices for garnish
In a medium bowl, marinate the thawed shrimp with 1/2 cup of pesto
In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil on medium high
Add the garlic, fennel and pepper flakes
Sauté until garlic just begins to brown
Add marinated shrimp to the skillet, cook and stir for 1 minute
Remove from heat, the shrimp will finish cooking while at rest in the skillet
Meanwhile cook the linguine in well salted water until al dente, drain
Reserve 1 cup of pasta water
Transfer linguine to a large serving platter
Add the grated cheese and mix gently
Add the cooked shrimp and mix gently
Add the rest of the pesto and mix gently
Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and reserved pasta water if needed
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper
Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of fresh parsley
Serve immediately with a fresh crisp salad and Sauvignon Blanc wine, just scrumptious!!