This is one of our favorite summer pasta dishes. Dry vermouth gives the sauce a little more complexity than white wine, while our amazing coiled Busiate catches every bit of the buttery, lemony finish. If you don't have Busiate, Frankies 457 Linguine is just as happy here.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the Scampi
- 6 ounces Frankies 457 Busiate, or Linguine
- 2 tablespoons Frankies 457 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and sliced lengthwise
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce dry vermouth
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
For the Sauce
- 2 ounces shallots, finely diced
- ¼ cup dry vermouth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water, plus more as needed
- 6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives and parsley
Method
- Bring 2 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and let it gently sizzle without taking on any color.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the shrimp, then return the pan to the burner. Cook without moving the shrimp for about 20 seconds. Stir, then cook for another 20 seconds, until the shrimp are about 60% cooked.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the red pepper flakes and season with salt and black pepper. Deglaze with the vermouth, then stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Cover and keep warm.
- In a separate saucepan, combine the shallots and vermouth. Cook until the vermouth has evaporated and the shallots are nearly dry. Add the heavy cream and reduce by about 70%.
- Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, then add the butter one piece at a time, whisking constantly until emulsified. Keep the heat gentle: too hot and the sauce will break; too cool and the butter won't fully incorporate.
- Stir in the lemon juice along with any juices from the shrimp. Season to taste with kosher salt and white pepper. The finished sauce should be loose, glossy, and the consistency of warm mayonnaise. Adjust with a little more butter or reserved pasta water if needed.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss gently over low heat until evenly coated, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to keep the sauce glossy. Fold in the shrimp, divide between two warm bowls, and finish with the chopped chives and parsley. Serve immediately.