It’s summertime and I don’t want to spend any more time in
the kitchen than I have to.
400 g shrimp
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 thinly sliced shallot
2 T finely chopped parsley
A bit of finely spiced fresh chili pepper, depends on how
hot you like it and how hot your chilies are
Shaved bottarga*
*Bottarga is compressed, dried fish roe, usually either
mullet or tuna. You can find at Italian specialty stores or buy some from the
fine people at Gustiamo. I recommend the whole bottagra, not pre-grated.
Put your pasta water on to boil.
and chili pepper.
Once the pasta water has come to a boil, you’ve salted it,
added the pasta and stirred, get out a sauté pan large enough to hold all of
the shrimp laying flat, not piled on top of each other.
Add 1-2 T olive oil to the sauté pan and when its good and
hot, add the shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes, turning the shrimp.
Based on 8 minute cooking time for the pasta, you are about
halfway ready to eat. Another 4 minutes and you're done.
Add all of the chopped ingredients to the shrimp pan and
toss thoroughly. 1-2 minutes cooking time.
Drain the pasta.
Place the pasta in a pretty bowl, and grate 3 T of bottarga
over the pasta. Place the shrimp on the pasta, but before you pour the sauce
over the pasta, melt a good sized knob of butter in the pan, scraping up any
brown bits. Now pour the sauce over the pasta and bring it to the table so
everyone can oooh and ahhh over the shrimp, then toss everything together
really well.
Have paper napkins on hand for sticky fingers because all
these shrimp are in their shell and you have to peel them and get deliciously
messy. Don’t even think about peeling the shrimp first, and I know you would
never, ever buy pre-peeled shrimp.
A nice cold white wine. A little tomato salad, and you are
all set. This is our first beefsteak tomato, sprinkled with some fresh basil
and marjoram, salt and a few drips of olive oil. Now that is summer on a plate.