Food, Italian Food · · Written By: Lyna
Living in Italy has ignited my passion for its diverse culinary landscape. Going out, I’m always looking to explore decadent Italian culinary dishes and pick up the most prominent recipes to reproduce at home. Once traveling to Rome, I tried a wonderful pasta dish featuring shrimp and pumpkin flower sauce. Enchanted by its delicate flavors, I was determined to recreate it at home. Once I did, I realized right away that I’ve found an exceptional shrimp pasta recipe, which I’m about to share with you.
Whether you’re cooking for an intimate dinner or a large gathering, this dish is sure to impress.
Jump to Recipe
As impressive as it is, Italian cuisine may look rather straightforward cooking-wise, yet, it is all about the details and nuances that make great Italian dishes great. Thus, before jumping to the recipe, please make sure to take into account the below cooking recommendations to ensure a flawless experience:
- I highly recommend sticking to the specified pasta shapes as the recipe is best suited with them, other pasta kinds are less preferable but can be used also if you don’t have tagliatelle or spaghetti at hand.
- When customizing the recipe to suit your needs, like cooking for two or a crowd, consider splitting the ingredients in batches when panfrying to avoid sogging.
- This is not the kind of dish you can cook in advance. This pasta should be served immediately once cooked and eaten fresh to preserve its perfect al dente texture. The leftovers, though they may be finished later, will provide a less delightful experience since the pasta will soak all the sauce and lose its consistency.
- Always strive to pick fresh pasta to achieve the authentic dish’s flavor and make it a restaurant-level dish. However, if fresh pasta is not available to buy, you can substitute it with dry egg pasta, which also yields pleasant results. I wouldn’t recommend regular dry pasta here, as it will simplify the outcome
- I would ideally recommend using fresh shrimp for this recipe, but frozen shrimp can also work well if you defrost them gradually in the fridge. So choose whichever option is most convenient for you. What I don’t recommend is to use frozen shrimp right from the freezer due to less freshness in their texture and taste.
- For the most prominent flavor, marinate the shrimp in advance, at least for half an hour, ideally overnight.
- The cooking time for pasta stated on the package may result in too al dente outcome, not necessarily corresponding to your taste. Hence, I would highly recommend trying your pasta before taking it out of the water to make sure you are happy with the taste.
- Here, also be cautious not to overcook the pasta; aim for a slightly undercooked, firm texture before combining it with the creamy sauce because the pasta will continue cooking in the source. As a rule of thumb – if you feel like about 2 more minutes are needed to finish cooking – this is when you would want to take it out.
- For a grated cheese option, select Italian parmesan. It’s better to pick a piece of parmesan than the pre-grated.
Shrimp and Zucchini Flower Tagliatelle
Lyna
Discover the culinary magic of Italy with a garlic shrimp and zucchini flower pasta recipe. This recipe creates a dish that's both sophisticated and comforting, perfect for any occasion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 portions
Calories 650 kcal
Equipment
1 frying pan
1 middle pot
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 package) of fresh uncooked pasta or 5 ounces of dry egg pasta (spaghetti or tagliatelle)
- 8 ounces pilled shrimps (15 ounces unpeeled shrimps with heads) (different shrimp may weigh differently, so as a simple benchmark, I would estimate 8-10 large shrimps per portion)
- 4 ounces fresh zucchini flowers
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup fresh 20% cream if you usually use low-fat cream you can use it
- 1 ounces Parmesan cheese you can use Grana Padana or Pecorino in this recipe
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
Wash the parsley and let it dry. If you have frozen shrimp, take them out of the fridge for at least an hour before cooking. Clean the shrimp if needed. Marinate the shrimp with finely chopped garlic and parsley. Add half of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put it in the fridge for at least half an hour to marinate (ideally a few hours).
Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Always try to use a large volume of water while cooking pasta and add salt as it was a soup for the water to taste enough salty.
Prepare zucchini flowers. Remove the inner parts (stigma or anthers). Coarsely chop the flowers
Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the marinated shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through.
Stir in the cream. Add 1 Tbls of Parmesan cheese. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and lower the heat
1 minute before combining the sauce with pasta – add the flowers and gently mix.
Before draining the pasta preserve a cup of water from the pot.
Drain tagliatelle and add it to the pan with the sauce, stirring until well combined. Adjust the sauce thickness by adding preserved water.
To serve, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper over the pasta and garnish with optional fresh parsley for a vibrant finish.
Keyword easy pasta recipes, homemade pasta, italian pasta, pasta ideas, pasta,, shrimp pasta
And there you have it! An Italian touch at home that’s sure to delight your taste buds and impress your guests. I wish you the best of luck in your culinary adventures, and don’t hesitate to share your experiences or ask questions. Feel free to save this recipe also on Pinterest for future inspiration, and happy cooking!
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