Serious Shrimp

So I've been totally slacking with my food blogging! Whoops! With Spring Break, Easter, and traveling don to MD for a big family gathering, I'm beat! However, I did make this fabulous Giada recipe before we left! Anything with Shrimp & Pasta & Lemons is a good choice in my book! I had made it before I started blogging and did not have any arugula on hand, so I used fresh basil... and it was fabulous! This last time I actually used the arugula as called for and frankly, we didn't enjoy it nearly as much!

So here's my adapted recipe for Linguini with Shrimp & Lemon Oil.... Enjoy!

Linguini with Shrimp & Lemon Oil



For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces basil (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For the lemon oil: Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the basil. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.