This quick and easy recipe of angel hair pasta and shrimp delivers heavenly flavors but can be made in roughly the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta. Dinner’s on the table in 15 to 20 minutes.
There aren’t many steps here, but when the garlic and oregano were in the pan with olive oil, the aromas transported me to the south of France or northern Italy and I was tempted to add a bit of butter, but didn’t. However, I can see myself doing that in warmer weather, skipping the cream and tomatoes and ending up with an even simpler meal along the lines of aglio e olio (see 101 Quick Meals – Plus 1) with shrimp.
But it’s wonderful this way. The recipe comes from the April Gourmet and tastes as if it required much more work. By the way, I left the tails on a few shrimp just for the photo.
Angel Hair Shrimp Pasta in Cream Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet
3 TB olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, about 1 TB
1/4 tsp dried oregano
salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup/4 ounces sweet (red) vermouth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained*
3/4 cup/6 ounces heavy cream
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
*I used petite diced tomatoes because angel hair is so thin.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Angel hair cooks in 3 to 4 minutes, so gauge timing of steps accordingly.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and saute about 2 minutes, until well-colored, turning the shrimp once.
Add vermouth and tomatoes. Stir well. Add cream and bring to a brisk simmer. Let simmer about 1 minute, until slightly thickened. Stir in lemon juice. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Drain pasta and serve.
Serves 4
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
*slurp* i love shrimp and i love pasta. why can’t you move to malaysia and have me as your guest for dinner every week??
i only had angel hair pasta for the first time a few weeks ago. i like it, but for some reason tastes a bit like vermicelli?
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I would love to eat my way through Malaysia! And who doesn’t love shrimp? I found a fabulous sale about a month ago so I’ve been using it more than usual. I’m saving the best recipe for last….
Vermicelli is just a thin spaghetti and capellini (angel hair) is thinner still. I use them interchably.
Great recipe,
Instead of vermouth, becasue it can get expensive, I used about a 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinager and it was amazing.
Excellent idea, Steve. Thanks for the feedback. I don’t always go into details about vermouth (I’ll try to change my ways) but I always mean the $6 per bottle stuff with a screw-on cap that has a shelf life of about 2 years. The one I buy is Gallo and the supermarket even sells it.
That said, I’m always grateful to get ideas for non-alcohol substitutes. Several people in my life can’t or won’t touch the stuff, even for cooking. I’m glad you liked the recipe and thanks again for the tip!