Spaghetti al Limone With Shrimp
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1pound spaghetti
- 1pound large shrimp (18 to 20 count), peeled and deveined, tails on or off
- ¼cup olive oil
- 2lemons, zested (about 1½ packed tablespoons), plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for serving
- ½cup dry white wine
- 3tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- ¾cup freshly grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
569 calories; 21 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 506 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.
- Step 2
While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season them with salt and black pepper. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest (setting a few pinches aside for serving) and tarragon in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, cook for 1 more minute, until the zest and tarragon are fragrant but not browned.
- Step 3
Add the shrimp to the skillet and spread into an even layer. Cook for about 90 seconds on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
- Step 4
Add the wine, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the skillet, and bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half, then set aside, off the heat, until the pasta has finished cooking.
- Step 5
Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing often, until the liquid that has collected at the bottom of the skillet has reduced slightly. (The sauce should still be fairly loose at this point.)
- Step 6
Off the heat, add the butter and ½ cup Parmesan, sprinkling the cheese evenly over the pasta. Toss until the butter and cheese are melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the lemon juice and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and toss until the sauce is thick and smooth.
- Step 7
Add the shrimp, toss, then season with more salt and black pepper to taste. Divide among shallow bowls and garnish with chopped fresh tarragon, lemon zest and black pepper.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Greg
The no cheese with seafood pasta is born out of the historic reality that places with fishing economies did not have the same access to cheese as those meat/dairy based inland areas. Lack of cheese kept it out of the seafood home cooking and lack of fresh seafood kept inland dishes cheese, or cheese and meat based. Today, modern Italians will mix available ingredients in 'untraditional' but exciting ways as shown in this great recipie.
Ingrid
The same quantity of dried tarragon was fine with this, though I can see how fresh would be extra nice. The recipe serves three people if two of them are tall, hungry men and one of those men is an adolescent who has spent the day in dance practice. There is a small amount left over.
Chris S.
Have a similar recipe and add a few tablespoons of capers to it.
Michelle
The tarragon in my garden is calling out for this recipe, but I’ll be adding garlic.
Chris B
Protip: *Always* reserve at least a cup of cooking water for any pasta dish. Just make it a habit. Depending on the other ingredients, substitutions, variations in taste, etc, it can rescue a recipe that’s going south on you.
DonnaT
Loved it. We are not fans of tarragon so I subbed fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley. Also since hubby likes a little spice, he added a few flakes of crushed red pepper. Dish was excellent with a Rioja for our wine choice. I will try this for friends soon. We have access to a lot of fresh NC shrimp!
M.R
You could make a quick shrimp stock from the shells and use it instead of wine. I do that often in other recipes.
Miriam
I make a much simpler version of this: douse cooked spaghetti in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and optional ground black pepper and or red pepper flakes. Serve with steamed broccoli and lots of parmesan. Added shrimp Sounds like a good idea.
Chris B
For those fearing it being too subtle in flavor and texture, consider sautéing a little minced shallot and garlic after removing the shrimp, but before adding the wine. Some toasted pine nuts at the end would add some complimentary flavor and crunch.
vincent giardina
Salmon, cream cheese, tomato on toasted bread, breakfast. There goes no cheese and fish. And I am 100% pure Italian. Raised on my grandmother apron strings in Brooklyn.
Richard NYC
It's Kosher salt. Kosher salt has a less heavy salt taste than table salt and is desirable as a "finishing" salt. Use table salt if you like; the results won't be as good.
jo
Made this today with farfalle because that's what I have in store. Nice meal, quartered for One: <4 oz of shrimp, 2 oz of pasta and . . . a bit of this and some of that re: the other ingredients. Too-many recipes -- no, wait, ALL the recipes on NYT Cooking are for 4 or 8 or 12 servings. I think I'd faint if there was a recipe for 2 or, gods forbid, One! But, grateful, still, for the ideas and I'm enough of a cook to Figure It Out. Cheers!
Peggy Shiffrin
I've been breaking that "no cheese with fish" rule ever since I learned there was such a rule.
Mari Metcalf
I will be combining the cheese and seafood in my mouth.
Mary D
I made added 3 cloves minced garlic to the tarragon and zest. Also I parboiled about a cup of chopped asparagus in 1.5 inch pieces. It was delicious!
Andria
We resisted the urge to add garlic and my husband followed the recipe to a tee, but used cashew-based plant butter for me and got rave reviews. One of my girlfriends (a Brooklyn foodie) said it was the best meal she has had in months. Note: we also forked out for top quality shrimp from a sustainable seafood store, which always makes a difference.
irene
Really nice recipe. The sauce was creamy and flavorful. I’m not a huge fan of tarragon so substituted chopped fresh parsley, a couple of sliced garlic cloves and added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Hubby loved it as well.
David Belanger
Make this tonight and what a wonderful, light and tasty pasta dish. I am not a fan of tarragon so I substituted with dill and it came out amazing. Garnished finished plated dish with a bit a fresh dill and finely chopped parsley. Also used bucatini pasta instead of spaghetti and it was marvelous. So much fun, this will be in my regular rotation and looking forward to riffing on this in the future.
O
Add a few cloves of sliced garlic to the tarragon/lemon zest, add a pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes to the pan when you add the wine, add some Italian parsley leaves when you add the pasta. And as Lidey says: spring for the block of Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself.
Simone
Perfect summer dish
rebrivved
I couldn’t find tarragon. So used fennel fronds instead. Also added 1/2 tsp red chili flakes to spice things up.
Rheta
Big hit! I used cooked shrimp and simply seasoned it and added it at the end (so I could make a portion sans seafood). Worked out fine. The fresh tarragon is key.
Ann
Used basil instead of tarragon. Did the shrimp as directed (great). Once the shrimp were cooked and taken out of the pan, I sautéed cut-up zucchini and small tomatoes in the oil, zest & basil. Threw in the wine, boiled it down. threw in the pasta water and juice from the bag of shrimp that I had reserved. Added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Last thing - about a 1/2 cup of ricotta. No parmesan. It was fantastic.
Susan
I used thin spaghetti but it’s a lot of pasta for the recipe. Granted we’re two seniors and a 20+, but the flavor profile was not there. Lemon did not come through. Nor did the tarragon.
Michael
Exceedingly decadent but good. Next time I will reduce the cheese by 1/3 and the butter by 1/3 and increase the Tarragon.
anyDenver
Great with sautéed broccoli and garlic
JERF
Made as directed, except used about 10 oz bucatini, so there was lots of sauce (lovely!). I’m ordinarily a fan of garlic, but I think it would have overpowered the other flavors and made it all about the garlic. That wouldn’t have been terrible, just different.
PFox
Delicious and simple. Only changes were 1/2 Tbsp dried tarragon and used a half pound of pasta since we like it saucy. Served 4. Paired with roasted asparagus, it made a perfect Spring dinner.
Laura
Subbed wheat linguini, shredded Parmesan for grated and dried tarragon as no fresh was available (1:3 dry to fresh conversion ratio). It was a healthy and refreshing meal with leftovers for my husband and me.
jillborgeson
Delicious! Added about 1C parboiled asparagus, 2 cloves garlic, parsley instead of tarragon. Really tasty.
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