Capellini With Lemon Garlic Sauce Recipe
Angel hair pasta with sautéed shrimp, lemon zest, garlic, and white wine butter sauce
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Ingredients
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Pasta
Shrimp
Sauce
Method
Pasta
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Add kosher salt (about 1 tablespoon). Add 8 oz capellini and cook until al dente, about 3-4 minutes (follow package timing). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
Shrimp
Season shrimp
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Toss with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
Sear shrimp
Heat a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When shimmering, add shrimp in a single layer and cook without moving 1-1½ minutes until the underside is pink and lightly browned. Flip and cook another 30–60 seconds until opaque and just cooked through. Remove shrimp to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Sauce
Sauté aromatics
Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add the thinly sliced garlic and minced shallot. Sauté, stirring, about 1–2 minutes until fragrant and the shallot is softened but garlic is not browned.
Deglaze
Add 1 tablespoon dry white wine to the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by half, about 1 minute.
Finish sauce
Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Allow butter to melt and the sauce to emulsify, about 1–2 minutes. If the sauce seems too thick, add 2–4 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen it.
Combine pasta and shrimp
Add the drained capellini to the pan and toss gently to coat in the sauce. If needed, add additional reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce coats the pasta smoothly. Return the cooked shrimp to the pan and toss to combine and rewarm for 30 seconds.
Finish and serve
Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Divide between 2–3 plates (depending on appetite), garnish with additional lemon zest or parsley if desired, and serve immediately.