Briefly simmering shrimp tails in the wine sauce easily builds extra flavor.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes and White Wine

Name: Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes and White Wine
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti; Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve; 4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21/25 per pound), peeled (tails removed and reserved) and deveined; 1/3 cup dry white wine; 2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cored and chopped; 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn; 2 teaspoons white sugar; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Appears in July-August 2022

45 minutes

In Venice, Italy, cookbook author Marika Contaldo Seguso taught us to make a regional classic, scampi alla busara. Large, sweet, shell-on prawns are bathed in a sauce made with fresh tomatoes and flavored with a splash of white wine, smashed garlic cloves and a sprinkling of pepper flakes. She paired her scampi alla busara with al dente pasta, a terrifically delicious, though not strictly traditional, combination. We adapted Seguso’s recipe using shelled shrimp in place of the prawns; to build flavor into our sauce, we briefly simmer the shrimp tails in the wine reduction, then remove them before the tomatoes are added.

4 to 6

Servings

Tip

Don’t use more than 3 quarts of water to boil the spaghetti. The aim is for the pasta water to be extra-starchy, as some of it is reserved (don’t forget to set aside about 1 cup before draining) and used near the end of cooking to give the sauce some clingability. Also, don’t boil the spaghetti until al dente. Drain it when it’s just shy of al dente, as it will finish cooking directly in the sauce.

45 minutes

Ingredients

1

pound spaghetti
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

01

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and 2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot; set aside.

Reviews

Jim K.

July 23, 2022

Bright, Light Flavors and Spice

Easy with bright flavor and light spice.

Ryan M.

June 28, 2022

Light and fresh

Dish is excellent, except it desperately needs acid. I added the juice of 1/2 a lemon at the end and that brought all the flavors out and married them together perfectly.

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Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes and White Wine