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Pasta Puttanesca with Shrimp

Puttanesca pasta with shrimp garnished with basil leaves in a skillet.
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Spicy, savory, briny and full of bold flavors, Pasta Puttanesca with Shrimp is a quick weeknight dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes and incredibly flavorful! Juicy seared shrimp, olives, capers, anchovies, and mafaldine pasta come together in a robust, addictive tomato sauce!

Ingredients

Scale

Shrimp:

  • 9.5 ounces / 270 grams peeled and deveined Shrimp or Prawns (frozen weight, 12-14 pieces if using size 16/20) – thawed and rinsed thoroughly
  • ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for cooking
  • ⅛ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Puttanesca Pasta with Shrimp:

  • 1 small / 18-20 grams Asian Red Shallot (substitute regular shallot/eschalot) – finely chopped
  • 3-4 cloves / 15 grams Garlic – thinly sliced
  • 1–5 pieces / 3-15 grams fresh Red Chilies, to taste (optional – I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety if fine, omit for milder dish, note 1*) – finely chopped
  • ½ cup / 10 grams fresh Basil – thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon / 2 grams fresh Oregano – finely chopped (substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano)
  • 3-4 fillets / 14 grams Anchovies in Oil – pat-dried, finely chopped into a paste
  • ¼ cup / 34 grams Pitted Black Olives – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon / 9 grams Capers – chopped if they are larger in size
  • ¼ cup / 24 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
  • 5.65 ounces / 160 grams uncooked Mafaldine Pasta (or any other noodle-type pasta shape)
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon / 15 grams Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
  • ½ tablespoon / 7 grams Hot Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste/Sauce
  • 1 (14-ounce) can / 400 grams Whole Peeled Tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes highly recommended)
  • ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet)
  • ¼- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (note 2*)
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground Cayenne, to taste (optional – note 2*)
  • To Serve: Reserve grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and basil

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Prepare the shrimp: Thaw the frozen shrimp and rinse thoroughly. Pat-dry and set aside.
  2. Prepare the ingredients: Chop/slice the Asian red shallots, garlic, red chilies (if using), basil, oregano, anchovies, olives, and capers (if needed) as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section). Use a block grater to grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and set aside.

Puttanesca Pasta with Shrimp:

  1. Prepare a pot of boiling water: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it genrously.
  2. Cook the shrimp: Heat ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized deep sauté pan or deep edged skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and spread out the pieces. Season with half of the sea salt and black pepper. Allow to sear for 1-2 minutes, then flip the pieces and season the other side with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until just cooked. Use tongs to transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl, leaving behind any oil, and set aside.
  3. Sauté the aromatics: Heat the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 30-40 seconds until translucent. Then add the garlic fresh red chilies and sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the pastes: Add the tomato paste and Calabrian chili pepper paste. Mix well to combine.
  5. Add the anchovies, olives and capers: Add the chopped anchovies, olives and capers and mix to combine until aromatic – about 1 minute.
  6. Stir in the whole peeled tomatoes and seasonings: Add the whole peeled tomatoes along with the juices in the can. Using the back of your spatula, press down on them to soften them. Then use the sharp front edge of the spatula to chop them up in the pan so that they break down into a sauce. Then stir in all of the seasonings and spices – the sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper chili flakes, and ground cayenne. Lower the heat and simmer for 6 minutes to let the flavors meld.
  7. Cook the pasta: While the sauce is simmering, add the mafaldine pasta to the pot of boiling salted water and cook until al-dente (2 minutes shy of the time specified on the package). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water towards the end of the cooking time.
  8. Stir in the fresh oregano and cheese: Add the fresh oregano, most of the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (reserve some for garnish), and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water into the pan with the tomato sauce. Mix to combine until the cheese has fully melted.
  9. Add the pasta and shrimp: Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta directly into the pan with the sauce and add the cooked shrimp. Mix well to combine until everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
  10. Mix through the fresh basil: Mix through most of the fresh basil (reserve some for garnish) and switch off the heat.
  11. Serve: Divide evenly onto two plates or in bowls. Garnish with the reserved Parmigiano cheese and basil. Serve immediately.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Fresh Red Chilies. Use more or less chilies based on your heat level preference. Leave them out for a milder dish.
  2. Ground Cayenne and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Adjust to taste or omit for a milder flavor. The cayenne will add an extra kick of heat and only add this if you really like your food spicy!
  3. Be sure to check out the full post for ingredient notes and substitutions, storage information, and tips on customizing this recipe!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/pasta-puttanesca-with-shrimp/