Shrimp and Orzo — A Tuesday Night That Felt Like Everything

Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year. I am not a Valentine's Day person in the performative sense — I do not do flowers on February 14th because I have been with Hannah for eight years and flowers on a specific commercial Tuesday has never been what we are. What we are is: I made dinner. A real dinner, on a Tuesday, which I do not usually do on weekdays during the pipeline push. I stopped at the store on the way home and bought salmon, which we almost never eat because fresh salmon in landlocked Oklahoma requires a level of faith in the supply chain I am not always willing to extend. But I wanted to make something that was not venison, not bean bread, not anything that came from a freezer. Just salmon with butter and lemon and thyme, roasted in the oven with asparagus, and a bottle of wine from the liquor store on 41st.

Hannah put Kai to bed early and we ate at the kitchen table after nine, which is not ideal for digestion but was exactly what the evening needed. We talked about things we have not had time to talk about during the long workweeks — about Hannah's program, which is growing, about some grant she is applying for, about the spring and what she wants to do with it. I told her about the pipeline timeline, when the Pawnee project ends, what comes after. We talked about the kids, about Kai's developing personality, about Luna and what we think she is becoming.

We did not talk about Danny, which was deliberate on both our parts. We talk about Danny constantly — how he is doing, what he needs, what Terry needs, the quiet ongoing management of watching someone you love diminish. On Valentine's Day we did not talk about it. We talked about ourselves. We ate salmon and drank wine and stayed at the table until eleven o'clock, which has not happened on a weeknight since before Kai was born.

This is what eight years of marriage looks like at thirty: salmon on a Tuesday, a bottle of wine, staying up past eleven because the conversation is good. It is not what I imagined when I was twenty-three. It is better. It is a lot better.

I thought about writing down the salmon recipe I made that Tuesday, but the truth is it was barely a recipe — butter, lemon, thyme, some faith that the fish was still good. What I’ve come back to more in the weeks since is something in the same spirit: simple, seafood-forward, the kind of thing that comes together quickly but feels like you meant it. This shrimp and orzo is what I’d make on the next Tuesday like that one — a little brightness, a little richness, the sort of dish that earns you another hour at the kitchen table.

Shrimp and Orzo

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

Ingredients

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Season the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry and season on both sides with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Set aside.
2. Toast the orzo. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add orzo and toast, stirring frequently, for 2—3 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.
3. Simmer the orzo. Add chicken broth and water to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10—12 minutes until orzo is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the shrimp. While orzo finishes, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1—2 minutes per side until pink and just opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside.
5. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium in the shrimp skillet. Add butter and garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add white wine and let it reduce by half, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and cook 2 minutes until they begin to soften.
6. Combine. Add spinach to the tomato mixture and stir until just wilted. Pour the sauce over the finished orzo and stir to combine. Fold in cooked shrimp, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
7. Finish and serve. Divide into bowls and top with Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg