Let’s talk about how a few good ingredients combined well, make for some of the best meals. This Garlic Shrimp Linguine is a great example. There aren’t a lot of ingredients and the cook time is under 20 minutes, but the flavour is OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Creamy and luscious lemon garlic cream sauce, perfectly seared Tiger shrimp and prosciutto, crisped and then crumbled on top. A little fresh parsley and you’ve got a restaurant quality dish, made at home, on a weeknight!
This recipe comes from local to me Chef Scott who runs Toronto Food Tours and now also an Online Grocery Shopping service, the Chef Scott Shop! Savour some of the best products from the historic St. Lawrence Market located in downtown Toronto.
Okay so what’s in this Garlic Shrimp Linguine?
- Extra Large Tiger Shrimp 26-30 count
- Heavy Cream
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh lemon juice
- Crispy Prosciutto
What does count size mean in Shrimp?
It’s actually pretty simple! The count size in shrimp represents how many shrimp, per pound your going to get. So a 26-30 count means you will get nice large, plump shrimp, anywhere from 26-30 per pound. The smaller the number per pound, the bigger the shrimp are. A higher count, means you get more per pound, but the shrimp are smaller.
Bigger isn’t always better, it depends on the type of recipe you are making. In the case of this Creamy Garlic Shrimp Linguine, bigger IS better. Pan seared and then stirred in at the end, the Shrimp are plump and juicy, with their sweet flavour really coming through the dish.
If I was making say a shrimp salad, smaller would be better and more appropriate. A stir fry, maybe just a slightly smaller shrimp would be good, something like 41-50 is a good size. Adjust to the recipe, your personal taste and these day, to what you can find on hand. Necessity is the mother of invention, and being flexible is your cooking is a necessity for many these days.
Okay, let’s get to the recipe and show you how easy it is to make a restaurant quality meal at home, in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 6 slices sliced Prosciutto
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 lb shrimp/prawns deveined and shelled
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup heavy cream 35%
- 1 egg yolk
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- Handful fresh parsley finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
- Tear Prosciutto in small pieces and crisp up in frying pan in olive oil. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.
- Peel shrimp melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet/frying pan and cook the shrimp in batches until golden brown and opaque. Season the prawns to taste.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter and garlic and cook for a few seconds, until the garlic is fragrant then pour in the cream, lemon juice (start with 2 tablespoons and add more if you wish), parsley and season to taste.
- Beat egg yolk, slowly add 3 Tbsp of hot cream, one at a time to egg yolk. Stirring constantly. This is called tempering the eggs. Add egg mixture to frying pan. Allow to simmer over gentle heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the shrimp back in and adjust seasoning.
- Add the pasta and mix to coat.
- Garnish with parsley, crispy prosciutto, and freshly grated parmesan
