A delicious shrimp and pasta recipe featuring angel hair pasta, fresh tomatoes, capers, and shrimp cooked in a simple white wine butter sauce. Perfect for dinner parties and date night in!
SHRIMP AND PASTA AT HOME
Pasta in and of itself is a beautiful thing, and I would gladly take down a bowl of salted and buttered spaghetti noodles for dinner with zero complaints. The same could (obviously) be said for shrimp. They're two stand-alone ingredients, but when brought together, ahhhh -- this is where the magic happens. Shrimp and pasta are a match made in heaven, and this is a restaurant quality combination you can easily prepare in your own home.
Imagine this: angel hair pasta coated in a buttery white wine sauce, speckled with fresh, diced tomatoes and briny capers, completed with a handful of perfectly cooked shrimp. Sounds fancy, right? Lucky for us, in this case, fancy doesn't mean complicated. Whether it's date night at home, a dinner party or a family dinner, this shrimp and pasta is suited for just about any occasion.
HOW TO MAKE A WHITE WINE BUTTER SAUCE
First, let's talk about that white wine butter sauce, otherwise known as a beurre blanc. Oh, there she went. Throwing out one of those lavish French cooking words. We are really encroaching on fancy territory now, aren't we? Let's pull back the reigns a tidbit and talk how exactly that showy French sauce comes together. Have no fear, soon you'll find there is no reason for intimidation. All you need is a little white wine, a whole lot of butter, so much garlic, and a teeny tiny onion also known as a shallot.
Obviously, this is going to be a flavorful sauce.
TIME TO SIMMER
A beurre blanc sauce is light and somehow full-bodied all at the same time. It begins with a little oil, the shallot, and all that flavorful garlic. As soon as the shallot and garlic soften, the white wine goes in and it's time for a reduction. This means the white wine simmers down over medium-high heat until greatly reduced. It makes the flavor of the wine much more concentrated in the sauce and also adds a lovely vibrancy to the butter sauce.
MORE BUTTER, PLEASE
A beurre blanc sauce is thickened by slowly incorporating cold, unsalted butter cubes into the white wine reduction. The words "slowly" and "cold" are probably the two most important takeaways from that sentence.
Incorporating the cold butter slowly and over low heat allows the butter to fully incorporate into the white wine reduction, and keeps the sauce from breaking. The only other thing you need to know is to keep on whisking, and you'll be completely golden. Just like that lovely beurre blanc you're about to conquer.
THE BEST SHRIMP AND PASTA DISH
When it's all said and done, the beurre blanc will be light and somehow full-bodied all at the same time, and there is nothing that could pair more perfectly with shrimp and pasta. Unless we were to add capers and freshly diced tomatoes...now we're really talking perfection, here.
Pair this pasta dish with a dry white wine, Homemade Garlic Bread, and a Classic House Salad!
MORE PASTA IDEAS YOU'LL LOVE
Shrimp and Pasta with Tomatoes and Capers
Ingredients
- 1 lb Wild-Caught Shrimp (preferably 18/20's)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Shallot minced
- 5 Cloves of Garlic minced
- 1 c Dry White Wine preferably Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- 2 Tbsp Capers drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ c of Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ¼” cubes
- 5 Medium-Sized Tomatoes cored, seeded and diced
- ¾ lb Angel Hair Pasta cooked to al dente according to package instructions
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.Add shallot and garlic and sauté 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in wine, along with capers, and increase heat to medium-high. Allow to boil until significantly reduced, 5-8 minutes.
- Reduce heat back to medium-low. Add 6 or so cubes of butter at a time, gently whisk into the wine sauce until melted and repeat until all of the butter has been incorporated. Season with Kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne.
- Add shrimp to sauce in a single layer, place lid on sauté pan and allow to cook for 7-8, covered, or until the shrimp has turned pink and is somewhat firm to the touch. Stir in tomatoes. Spoon the sauce and shrimp over the cooked pasta, serve, and enjoy
Nutrition
Julia says
I had no idea why to add cold butter slowly into a sauce but now that I read that it makes totally sense! 🙂 Thanks for the information!
Kelly Anthony says
You got it! 🙂
Kate says
What a fragrant and delicious looking pasta! I love cooking with wine - it adds such great flavour.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much! Yes, It makes a huge difference!
Amy | The Cook Report says
You really can't beat the shrimp and pasta combo!
Kelly Anthony says
Not in a million years 😉 Thank you!
Sara says
What a delicious dinner idea! Those shrimp look incredibly good!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you!
Sonia says
I am I just love shrimps.in pasta... And this looks so delicious and inviting.. can't wait to try it!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Sonia! You'll love it!
Jennifer says
I had no idea how simple it is to make a buerre blanc sauce, I'm looking forward to trying it!
Kelly Anthony says
Yes, so simple! Thank you, Jennifer!
Danielle says
This pasta just screams summer. I love how light and simple it is.
Kelly Anthony says
Thanks, Danielle! Me too 😉
Claudia Lamascolo says
wow those shrimp are gorgeous so Large! I love this kind of meal I order it out alot now I can make it myself!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Claudia!
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says
This recipe sounds amazing! From the shrimp to the capers to the tomatoes - perfect!
Lisa says
I'm loving the simplicity of this recipe and the combination of flavors. My husband is sure to love it.
Angelita says
OMG!! I have been looking at this recipe for a week now. I just made it. It smells soul delisious and tastes like heaven!!!! Thank you for sharing.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Angelita!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂