Lemon Linguine with Basil Pesto Shrimp

This recipe was pretty good and very easy.. !  I did it so fast and was so excited I ended up spilling the sauce that I mixed all over the floor and had to start over! So in reality it took me longer then most people. I refused to defrost and touch the shrimp because it smelled! So recruit a friend I suggest if you like shrimp but don't like to cook it! (thanks chrissy ;) I topped the pasta with the remaining pesto but I wouldn't do it next time.  It was too much mixing of flavors and the pesto on the shrimp is just fine (I am a pesto lover tho)!  hmmmmm Score: 8.5




Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined – with or without the tails

1 batch Basil Pesto (recipe follows)

1 pound linguine, cooked al dente

1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

1 cup pasta cooking water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place shrimp in a non-metal bowl or zip lock bag and spoon in half of the pesto to coat. Mix well. Place shrimp in the fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes. Set aside the rest of the pesto for later. You can also put the shrimp on wooden skewers that have been thoroughly soaked in water.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or grill pan. Add the shrimp and sauté just until it turns pink, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm. It will continue to cook for a minute after you remove it from the heat.

3. In a large serving bowl, whisk the 1/4 cup of the lemon juice and olive oil until partially emulsified. Add the Parmesan and continue whisking until creamy. Toss in the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Adjust the oil-to-lemon ratio by adding more lemon juice, a little at a time, until it is to your taste.

4. Add hot pasta to the bowl and toss until well-coated. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese and help it stick to the linguine. Add some cooking water if the pasta seems dry.

5. Apportion the linguine onto dinner plates and top each with 4-6 shrimp. Ladle some remaining pesto onto each plate as well.

Serves 4.