It’s winter. Generally, it’s cold and grey, though here in Memphis, the months are punctuated with weirdly frustrating days of seventy degree weather. I love winter food, but I have souped and stewed and braised myself silly and I’m ready for something lighter and fresher. This recipe started as just that. A quick whip-up with the last citrus at the bottom of the fruit bowl and some shrimp from the freezer. But this good enough to share, and could not be a quicker family meal or company dish.
Big juicy shrimp remind me of summer, and citrus is sometimes the one spot of sunshine in the winter foodscape. Add a little garlic and fresh, leafy parsley and this is a bright, sunny dish. A touch of cream adds some body, but mostly this sauce just glazes the pasta and shrimp with zest. Use a high-quality olive oil to make sure the citrus really shines.
Ingredients
12 ounces linguine
1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
3 garlic cloves
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup heavy cream
small handful flat leaf parsley leaves, plus more for sprinkling
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
Directions
- Cook the linguine in a pot of well-salted water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water.
- Grate the zest the orange, lemon and lime into the carafe of a blender. Juice the citrus to produce ¾ cup juice combined. Add the juice to the blender with the garlic, parsley, olive oil, cream, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a large skillet or pot that will hold the pasta. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and cook, turning once, until cooked through.They will be pink and firm and curled tightly. Immediately add the pasta to the pot and a couple of Tablespoons of cooking water. Use tongs to toss everything together, coating all the pasta with the sauce.
- Serve immediately sprinkled with a little chopped fresh parsley.
This one is a HUGE home run! K said one of the best shrimp things I’ve ever done (and there have been many, believe me). If you are thinking toward the “Mediterranean” way of eating, as many of us are these days, this is for YOU! Easy, healthy, quick, and absolutely delicious. (I did use two oranges instead of one, to reach the desired amount of juice….maybe the first was just a non-juicy one, but do have another on hand, in case.) Great for 4 servings…. Loved it….Thanks Runaway Spoon!
This looks really light and tasty! I would have never thought to put lemon AND lime AND orange juice with a shrimp linguine. Great idea!
I made this last night without the fresh citrus fruit or heavy cream. Instad I used 1/4 cup of bottled juices instead and mik plus some light sour cream. I didn’t have any on hand plus I have been on the look out for delicious recipes I could make a lighter version for health diet reasons. We loved it!! It served us plus our son when he came home from work.
This is wonderfully delicious. Can I make extra sauce and freeze it? Please let me know – it would be most useful to do that – thanks! p.
I’m afraid the sauce won’t freeze well – the oils would solidify and the cream separate. But it is quick to make!