Summer Shrimp Scampi With Charred Corn-Tomato Butter Sauce
May 20th, 2024Pasta With a Bounty of Summer Harvests
This shrimp scampi pasta combines sweet, buttery, sidestriped shrimp with a bounty of summer harvests — garlic, corn, tomatoes. It’s a simple but elegant pasta dish that’s a perfect match for dinner under the stars, or even for an elevated lunch under the sun.
For more recipe ideas, check out some more of our favorite shrimp recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
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Sidestriped shrimp: This species of shrimp is a variety of wild-caught crustacean that is popular in Alaska. It has a naturally sweet, buttery flavor. Any variety of wild-caught shrimp with a similar texture and flavor can be substituted — try making this pasta with spot prawns.
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Corn: Fresh summer corn adds juicy sweetness to this pasta dish. Keep in mind, though, that the sugars in fresh corn turn to starch, shortly after harvest, so you’ll want to make sure that the corn is as freshly picked as possible. A great alternative is frozen corn, which is frozen at the peak of freshness and is oftentimes a better option than the “fresh” corn options you’ll find throughout the year.
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Butter: The addition of butter to this pasta adds a richness that helps to balance the sweetness of the corn, tomatoes, and shrimp. Butter can be reduced or omitted entirely if you want to lower the fat content of this dish or adapt it so that it is dairy-free. (An extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, just before serving, can help to bring the dish together in place of butter.)
Summer Shrimp Scampi With Charred Corn-Tomato Butter Sauce
By Wild Alaskan Company
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total time
25 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz.) packs sidestriped shrimp, peeled
- ½ pound dry angel hair or thin spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 cups corn kernels, fresh from the cob or frozen
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley or torn basil leaves
Instructions
1. Cook pasta per package directions. When cooked, drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of pasta water. Set aside until ready to combine with the rest of the dish.
2. Meanwhile, use a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to gently pat shrimp dry. Toss shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot (sizzling hot), add shrimp. Do not move the shrimp for 45 seconds. Then turn or delicately stir the shrimp to just briefly expose the remaining side to heat, then transfer shrimp to a plate. The shrimp should be slightly undercooked.
4. Drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to skillet, then add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Stir once or twice until they start to blister in spots, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and cook for another 4 minutes. Let corn and tomatoes develop a char by stirring only a couple of times as they cook.
5. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Then, reduce to medium heat and add lemon juice and wine to deglaze skillet, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue to simmer until liquids have reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
6. Add butter one piece at a time to the skillet and stir until incorporated. Reduce heat to low, then add shrimp and all the juices from the plate back to the skillet. Stir to heat through.
7. Add pasta to the skillet and toss with sauce to coat. Use pasta water as needed to ensure the pasta is well coated, adding a ½ cup at a time until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add lemon zest to finish the dish. Serve immediately.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
