Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Valentine’s Day was Wednesday February fourteenth. Cody’s Tulsa Review issue arrived in the mail Monday. The mailman dropped it through the slot at three-fifteen and Mama and I were both home that afternoon for the first time in weeks — Mama had a doctor’s appointment that ran late. We opened the envelope at the kitchen table together. The cover of the magazine is a small black and white photograph of a Tulsa rooftop. Inside, on page eleven, in the running order of fiction pieces, is The Sister at the Stove by Cody Moreland, with the bio Cody wrote on a napkin in the visiting room in October.

Mama and I sat at the kitchen table and read the piece together. We both cried. The piece is the kind of piece that you read once for the words and then once again for the architecture. The architecture is the part Cody had not let me see — the sentences are short in the right places and long in the right places and the silences at the line breaks are doing as much work as the words. The piece is the piece of the year. I am going on the page in pen. My brother is a writer who has, in February of 2018, his first paid publication in a real magazine.

And the recipe Wednesday for our solo Valentine’s was linguine with shrimp scampi. Aunt Tammy brought a half-bottle of Pinot Grigio over Saturday afternoon for the recipe (the second time this household has had wine in the kitchen for cooking; same arrangement as the chicken Limoncello). The recipe is the classic — shrimp sauteed quickly in butter and garlic, deglazed with white wine and lemon juice, tossed with cooked linguine and chopped parsley.

The math: a pound of frozen peeled shrimp on sale at Walmart $4.99, half a stick of butter, four cloves of garlic, the half cup of white wine free from Aunt Tammy, a lemon $0.49, fresh parsley $0.99, a pound of linguine $0.89, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes from the rack. Total: about $7.36 for a Valentine’s dinner for Mama and me with leftovers for Thursday lunch.

The technique is the quick saute and the pan-sauce build. You thaw the shrimp under cold water and pat dry. You melt three tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. You add four cloves of minced garlic and cook for thirty seconds. You add the shrimp, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute two minutes per side until pink. Pour in the half cup of white wine and the juice of half a lemon. Simmer ninety seconds to reduce slightly. Toss in the cooked drained linguine. Toss in the chopped parsley. Plate with a final squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of pan sauce.

Mama said, eating, baby, this is restaurant Valentine’s. The cover of the magazine was on the kitchen counter behind us. The pasta was on our plates. The week, taken whole, was one of the best weeks of the year.

The recipe is below. The trick is the two-minute-per-side shrimp saute — do not overcook. Use real white wine if you have access to it; the substitution to chicken broth changes the dish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb linguine
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (fresh or thawed frozen)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain and set aside.
Season the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. Dry shrimp will sear instead of steam, which gives you better color and texture.
Sauté the shrimp. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1–2 minutes per side until pink and just opaque. Do not overcrowd the pan. Remove shrimp to a plate.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the same skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
Deglaze and simmer. Pour in white wine (or chicken broth) and lemon juice. Stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly reduced.
Combine everything. Add the drained linguine to the skillet and toss to coat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Return the shrimp to the pan, toss gently, and cook 1 minute more until heated through.
Finish and serve. Stir in parsley. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi — The Valentine’s Dinner the Week the Magazine Arrived