Shrimp Pasta Recipe Simple and Quick Seafood
There’s a certain magic to a well-made seafood pasta, a dish that feels both elegant enough for a weekend treat and straightforward enough for a special weeknight meal. This shrimp pasta recipe is one I’ve tweaked and perfected over the years, and it has become a firm favourite in our house. Friends always ask me for this recipe after trying it at dinner parties, and I’m always delighted to share it. It’s a beautiful dance of flavours: succulent, plump shrimp, a light but luscious sauce made with white wine, garlic, and a hint of chilli, all clinging beautifully to strands of linguine.
What sets this particular shrimp pasta apart is its balance. It’s not heavy or swimming in a creamy sauce. Instead, we create a bright, aromatic sauce by building layers of flavour, starting with garlic and shallots, deglazing with white wine, and finishing with a knob of butter, lemon juice, and the starchy pasta water. This technique creates a glossy sauce that coats every single piece of pasta without feeling overwhelming. The result is a vibrant and deeply satisfying pasta dinner that truly respects the delicate flavour of the shrimp.
This recipe works beautifully for a quiet date night at home, but it also scales up wonderfully when you have guests. It’s a dish that feels sophisticated yet is built on simple, accessible techniques. If you appreciate a good seafood pasta where every ingredient shines, I think you’re going to be very pleased with this one.
Recipe Overview
This is my go-to recipe for a classic, flavour-packed shrimp pasta. We focus on creating a light yet intensely savoury sauce using white wine, garlic, lemon, and a touch of chilli heat, which perfectly complements the sweet shrimp. The key is using the starchy pasta water to emulsify the sauce, making it cling to the linguine in the most delightful way. I’ve found that using raw, shell-on shrimp and making a quick stock from the shells elevates the seafood flavour immensely, but I’ve included instructions for using pre-peeled shrimp too.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4 people
- Difficulty: Easy
Why You’ll Love This Shrimp Pasta
- Genuine Flavour: The sauce is a bright and zesty combination of dry white wine, sharp garlic, and fresh lemon, with a gentle warmth from red chilli flakes. The fresh parsley at the end lifts everything, making it taste incredibly fresh.
- Ready in Under 30 Minutes: From start to finish, this impressive pasta dinner comes together in about half an hour, making it ideal for busy evenings when you want something special without the fuss.
- Flexible Recipe: You can easily adjust the level of garlic or chilli to your taste. Don’t have linguine? Spaghetti or even tagliatelle work just as well. You can also throw in some cherry tomatoes or spinach for extra veg.
- Great for Entertaining: This dish looks and tastes impressive, making it a wonderful main course for a dinner with friends. It pairs beautifully with a crisp white wine and a simple green salad.
- Family Tested: This recipe gets compliments every time I make it. My husband, who’s usually picky about seafood, asked for seconds the first time I made it this way!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the best results, use the freshest ingredients you can find, especially the shrimp and parsley. I often use De Cecco linguine as I find it has a fantastic texture that really holds onto the sauce well. Using a decent-quality, dry white wine like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc makes a real difference to the final flavour of the sauce.
- 400g dried linguine or spaghetti
- 450g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined (keep the shells if you have time!)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 120ml dry white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 50g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- Large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for grating over (optional)
Marcus’s Tip: If you buy shell-on prawns, don’t throw the shells away! Sauté them in a little oil for a few minutes until pink, then cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain this liquid and use it in place of some of the pasta water for an even more intense seafood flavour in your final dish.
How to Make Shrimp Pasta
The process for this seafood pasta is quite straightforward. We cook the pasta while we prepare the sauce in a separate pan. The magic happens when we bring them together at the end with a splash of the starchy cooking water, which helps create that beautiful, emulsified sauce.
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the linguine and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually about 8-10 minutes). Just before draining, reserve about 250ml (a large mugful) of the starchy pasta water.
- Prepare the Shrimp: While the pasta is cooking, pat your peeled and deveined prawns completely dry with a paper towel. This is crucial for getting a good sear. Season them generously with salt and pepper.
- Start the Sauce Base: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until it has softened and become translucent. Add the sliced garlic and red chilli flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, or it will become bitter.
- Sear the Shrimp: Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the seasoned prawns to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, just until they turn pink and opaque. Don’t overcook them! Once cooked, immediately remove the prawns from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour the white wine into the hot pan. Let it bubble and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon—this is where so much flavour is. Allow the wine to reduce by about half, which should take 2-3 minutes.
- Build the Sauce: Reduce the heat to low. Add about 120ml of the reserved pasta water to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cold, cubed butter and whisk it into the sauce until it melts and the sauce becomes creamy and slightly thickened. What works best for me is to swirl the pan constantly as the butter melts. For a full explanation of how pasta water works its magic, check out this great guide on emulsifying pasta sauces.
- Combine Everything: Add the drained linguine directly to the pan with the sauce. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add the cooked shrimp and most of the chopped parsley. Use tongs to toss everything together thoroughly for about a minute, until the pasta is well-coated in the glossy sauce. If it looks a little dry, add another splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve Immediately: Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the shrimp pasta among four warm bowls, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and offer freshly grated Parmesan at the table, if you like. For other great family dinner ideas, you could try our Easy Ground Beef Tacos next week!
Tips From My Kitchen
- Don’t Overcook the Shrimp: Shrimp cook incredibly fast. They’re done as soon as they turn pink and curl into a ‘C’ shape. An overcooked shrimp is tough and rubbery. Searing them quickly over a higher heat and then removing them from the pan is the best way to keep them tender.
- The Secret Step: I learned that finishing the pasta in the sauce is non-negotiable. Don’t just pour the sauce over a pile of pasta. Tossing the al dente pasta *in the pan* with the sauce and a splash of pasta water for the final minute of cooking is what allows the starches from the pasta to meld with the sauce, creating a cohesive, restaurant-quality dish.
- Make-Ahead: You can chop the shallot, garlic, and parsley ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day. However, the dish itself is best made and served fresh, as reheated shrimp can become tough.
- Storage: If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, add a splash of water to a pan over low heat and gently warm the pasta, tossing occasionally, until heated through.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overcrowding the pan: When searing the shrimp, make sure they are in a single layer with some space between them. If you pile them all in at once, they will steam in their own juices instead of getting a lovely, flavourful sear. Cook them in two batches if your pan isn’t large enough.
- Burning the garlic: Garlic goes from fragrant to burnt and bitter in seconds. Sauté it over a medium-low heat and keep a close eye on it. As soon as you can smell its wonderful aroma, it’s time to add your next ingredient (in this case, the wine).
- Overcooking the Shrimp: This is the most common pitfall with a shrimp pasta. Remember, they will have a little residual heat cooking after you take them out of the pan, and they go back in at the end. Pull them out when they are just opaque to ensure they remain succulent.
Delicious Variations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, it’s a great canvas for customisation. Here are a few variations we enjoy at home:
- Spicy Arrabiata Style: Add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (I like Mutti Polpa) along with the white wine and increase the red chilli flakes to a full teaspoon for a fiery, tomato-based sauce.
- Creamy Lemon & Herb: For a richer dish, stir in 60ml of double cream along with the butter at the end. You could also add some fresh tarragon or dill along with the parsley for a different herbaceous note.
- Add Some Veg: Make this a more complete one-pan meal, much like our popular Creamy Chicken and Rice Recipe, by adding vegetables. Stir in a large handful of fresh spinach at the very end until it wilts, or add some blanched asparagus tips or frozen peas along with the pasta.
What to Serve With Shrimp Pasta
This seafood pasta is a wonderful meal on its own, but a few simple accompaniments can elevate it further.
- Garlic Bread: A few slices of crusty, warm garlic bread are ideal for mopping up any leftover sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
- A Simple Green Salad: A crisp salad of rocket and mixed leaves with a sharp lemon vinaigrette provides a fresh, peppery contrast to the richness of the pasta.
– **Wine Pairing:** A crisp, dry white wine like the Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc you used in the sauce is the natural choice. A dry Rosé also works beautifully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the linguine and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually about 8-10 minutes). Just before draining, reserve about 250ml (a large mugful) of the starchy pasta water.
- Prepare the Shrimp: While the pasta is cooking, pat your peeled and deveined prawns completely dry with a paper towel. This is crucial for getting a good sear. Season them generously with salt and pepper.
- Start the Sauce Base: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until it has softened and become translucent. Add the sliced garlic and red chilli flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, or it will become bitter.
- Sear the Shrimp: Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the seasoned prawns to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, just until they turn pink and opaque. Don't overcook them! Once cooked, immediately remove the prawns from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour the white wine into the hot pan. Let it bubble and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon—this is where so much flavour is. Allow the wine to reduce by about half, which should take 2-3 minutes.
- Build the Sauce: Reduce the heat to low. Add about 120ml of the reserved pasta water to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cold, cubed butter and whisk it into the sauce until it melts and the sauce becomes creamy and slightly thickened. What works best for me is to swirl the pan constantly as the butter melts. For a full explanation of how pasta water works its magic, check out this great guide on emulsifying pasta sauces.
- Combine Everything: Add the drained linguine directly to the pan with the sauce. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add the cooked shrimp and most of the chopped parsley. Use tongs to toss everything together thoroughly for about a minute, until the pasta is well-coated in the glossy sauce. If it looks a little dry, add another splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve Immediately: Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the shrimp pasta among four warm bowls, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and offer freshly grated Parmesan at the table, if you like. For other great family dinner ideas, you could try our Easy Ground Beef Tacos next week!
Notes
I hope you enjoy making this shrimp pasta as much as I do. It’s a recipe that never fails to impress and feels like a little bit of luxury any night of the week. If you try it, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below – I love hearing from you! And if you fancy a sweet treat afterwards, why not give my Lemon Crumb Bars a go?
