Lemon Linguine With Basil Pesto Shrimp

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 4 medium sized garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted or 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shrimp, large, peeled and deveined
• 1 batch basil pesto (recipe above, divided)
• 1/2-2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh (2 or 3 lemons)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb linguine, cooked al dente
• 1 cup pasta cooking water

Recipe

recipe

• 1 pesto directions:
• 2 put basil leaves and garlic in bowl of a food processor.
• 3 pulse a few times to combine.
• 4 add parmesan cheese and pine nuts; pulse a few more times.
• 5 scrape mixture into a bowl and whisk in olive oil.
• 6 add salt and red pepper flakes to taste; stir.
• 7 lemon linguine:
• 8 place shrimp in a non-metal bowl or zipper bag; spoon in half of the pesto to coat. mix well. set aside the rest of the pesto for later.
• 9 place shrimp in the refrigerator to marinate for about 30 minutes. you can also put the shrimp on wooden skewers that have been thoroughly soaked in water.
• 10 heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or grill pan. add the shrimp and saute just until it turns pink, about 1 or 2 minutes per side.
• 11 remove shrimp from pan and cover to keep warm. shrimp will continue to cook for a minute after you remove it from the heat.
• 12 in a large serving bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup of the lemon juice and olive oil until partially emulsified.
• 13 add the parmesan and continue whisking until creamy.
• 14 toss in the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
• 15 adjust the oil-to-lemon ratio by adding more lemon juice, a little at a time, until it is to your taste.
• 16 add hot pasta to the bowl and toss until well-coated. the heat from the pasta will melt the cheese and help it stick to the linguine.
• 17 add some cooking water if the pasta seems dry.
• 18 portion the linguine onto dinner plates; top each with 4 to 6 shrimp.
• 19 ladle some remaining pesto onto each plate as well.