Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

• How to Make Shrimp Scampi Pasta

The full recipe directions are below, but here are top tips for recipe success:

• Prep ahead
• Have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to cook before heating your skillet. You don't want to have to pause to cut, chop, squeeze, or measure right in the middle of a fast-moving recipe. If you use fresh shrimp, you can peel and devein the shrimp earlier in the day, then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you're ready to get cooking.
• Cook the pasta first
• Boil the pasta in well-salted water, drain, and hold aside before cooking the shrimp scampi. You'll add the pasta to the hot skillet to warm it before serving. Time your cooking so you're ready to start cooking the shrimp immediately after the pasta is drained; you don't want the pasta to sit for too long.
• Don’t overcook the shrimp
• It takes just a couple of minutes to cook raw shrimp, and if they cook for too long, shrimp turn tough and rubbery. You’ll know the shrimp are close to done when they start to curl into a C shape and turn from translucent gray to opaque pink and white.
• Bonus tip
• Before you drain the pasta, hold aside a half cup of the pasta water to add to the sauce if the finished dish looks a little dry (you may not have to add the entire half cup). Pasta water is a pasta cook’s secret weapon. The starchy water adds extra flavor and moistness to the recipe, gives sauces a smoother texture, and helps bind the sauce to the pasta.
• Instructions Checklist
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; cook linguine in boiling water until nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
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• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the hot butter and oil until shallots are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Season shrimp with kosher salt and black pepper; add to the skillet and cook until pink, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove shrimp from skillet and keep warm.
• Pour white wine and lemon juice into skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet, stir 2 tablespoons olive oil into butter mixture, and bring to a simmer. Toss linguine, shrimp, and parsley in the butter mixture until coated; season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil to serve.