Shrimp Gremolata Linguine
This Shrimp Gremolata Linguine comes together in 30 minutes (or less!), so it’s a perfect pasta recipe for busy weeknights!
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It’s no wonder why pasta is so popular in our house. Pasta is such a versatile base for recipes, and I bet you could go weeks (months?) of eating pasta every night without repeating flavor combinations. I mean there’s classics like Spaghetti & Meatballs (yum!) and Caprese Pasta. Then there are pasta bakes like this Spicy Chipotle Chicken or Italian Sausage Pasta Bake. And if you throw in pasta salads for the summer? Yup, you could absolutely go months before repeating flavors!
Shrimp Gremolata Linguine
This Shrimp Gremolata Linguine is a new concoction out of our kitchen. Like many of you, we get recipe inspiration from our travels, and the inspiration for this Shrimp Gremolata Linguine came from a recent work trip that Laura took up to Montreal. She ordered a shrimp and scallop dish served over linguine tossed with a classic gremolata.
As soon as Laura returned home, she described that meal and asked me to recreate it. Now recreating a dish that I never tasted (or even saw) in the first place is a little difficult, but Laura did a great job describing the recipe. And she said this Shrimp Gremolata Linguine comes surprisingly close to the version she had outside of Montreal. Score!
Have you ever heard of (or made) gremolata? It sounds fancy, right? It might be fancy, but it’s a cinch to make. Gremolata is just a chef’s term for a combination of minced parsley, garlic and lemon zest. When I served this Shrimp Gremolata Linguine, I tossed several spoonfuls of gremolata into the pasta. The resulting flavor was bright and rather tasty!
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good red sauce on pasta. It’s one of my all-time favorite comfort foods! But every once in a while, I like to go with a ‘naked’ pasta dish. The pasta for this recipe just uses a bit of the reserved pasta water and some freshly grated Parmesan. That’s it. Nice and simple. The gremolata gets mixed in when served for a boost of fresh flavor. And since shrimp take all of no time to cook (<10 minutes from bag to pan to plate), this recipe can totally be made for a weeknight meal!
If you’re looking for a tasty pasta recipe than can easily be made in 30 minutes (or less), then this recipe is the answer! Enjoy! Or perhaps I should say Mangia!
If you make this Shrimp Gremolata Linguine, come back and leave a comment…or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for more tasty pasta dishes? Check out these favorites, too:
Cajun Pastalaya with Smoked Andouille
Creamy Pasta Alfredo with Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Homemade Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta
Spaghetti Carbonara
Shrimp Gremolata Linguine
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 16 oz. linguine pasta
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
For the Gremolata
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley minced (~1 bunch of parsley)
- zest from 2 lemons ~2 Tbsp zest
- 2 tsp garlic minced
For the Shrimp
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp green onions finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 pound large 26-30 count shrimp, peeled and deveined but with tail on
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set pasta aside.
- To make the gremolata, add the parsley, lemon zest and garlic to a small bowl; stir until well combined. Set gremolata aside.
- Using a large skillet, add butter, olive oil, lemon juice, green onions, garlic and shrimp; cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked and pink in color.
- Stir Parmesan cheese into cooked pasta, adding ~¼ cup of reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the pasta. To serve, divide pasta onto plates and top with shrimp. Add spoonful of gremolata on top of shrimp.
I just sent this post to my mom. My parents go shrimping every year and they’re always looking for new ways to eat their haul. I know they’d love this! But who wouldn’t love it? I’ll never turn down pasta and gremolata adds such great flavor to everything!
Kelsie, you rock! Thank you for passing this post along. Also, your parents go shrimping!? Can I come out and go shrimping, too?? Growing up in Charleston, SC, we’d occasionally go out to eat in an area called Shem Creek where we would watch the shrimp boats come back in at night and unload their catches. It was really cool!
My wife would love this. I make shrimp and pasta often enough but the gremolata is a great idea. I’m like you, pasta should be its own food group.
Shrimp and pasta is certainly a classic combo, and I love how easy it is thanks to the shrimp cooking so quickly. But the gremolata is definitely a fun twist. Classic flavors…and it sounds fancy, too! Thanks, Bill!
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this! Gremolata is so fantastic, and of course it goes with shrimp so well. Cannot wait to make this. There was a restaurant we loved that served fresh warm bread and gremolata to you as soon as you sat down, and we’d indulge, as you can imagine. The restaurant closed, and I wonder if it was because of serving the gremolata! It was definitely fresh and made on site.
Warm bread and gremolata? Like as a dipping sauce? What a great idea, Mimi! I do love to dip bread in olive oil, but I’ve never thought about dipping it in gremolata. Totally need to make this again and just make extra gremolata! Thanks so much, my friend!
Recipes like this are just perfect. Simple and fresh and delish. My daughter spent last weekend in Montreal. She totally Joe Beefed it! Man did she eat well. But I’m sure this would trump it!
I absolutely love Montreal! I’m not sure the name of the restaurant where my wife had her gremolata dish, but she said this version came close…and I’m ok with that! 🙂 Thanks so much, Abbe!
I never made Gremolata . It looks so good, have to try it,
Gremolata is just a fancy name for an awesome combination of ingredients. It’s quick and easy, and it instantly boosts the flavor of pasta dishes! 🙂 Thanks, Gerlinde!
This is such a fantastic, delicious and healthy dinner for a busy weeknight. I love shrimp and how perfect with Gremolata.
I find it amazing that a meal like this can come together in 30 minutes…but it totally can! Shrimp + pasta is a delicious combo, but add in the gremolata? So much awesome and fresh flavor going on there! Thanks so much, Valentina!
Well done for recreating a dish that you never tasted nor saw – that’s incredible! I have to say it looks delicious, I love a good bowl of pasta and this is just the perfect recipe for when my (gf) husband is away. Easy to make and with lots of flavour – I thought that a gremolata is much more complicated to make – that’s definitely on my list of dishes to make very soon!
Haha…hey, I’m all about just setting off and playing with ingredients. Sure, I was a bit curious when Laura took a bite. I wasn’t sure if it was a close recreation, or if I was just way off in left field…but she said it was a good approximation. I’ll take that!
Speaking of gluten free, have you played with gluten free pasta much? I bet you could use that for this dish. It really is a recipe that sounds super fancy, but is actually super easy. Thanks so much, Miriam! 🙂
Love when you can recreate dishes that you’ve had out. It’s one of the reasons why hubby and I often find it difficult to go to restaurants. We both love to cook and eat and once we’ve made said dish at home, then we don’t wanna go back to the restaurant, lol. Looks like you’ve hit it out of the park with this one! Love the bright, fresh flavours with that gremolata and I especially love how quickly it comes together. Big pasta fans in our home too 🙂
I totally agree with you about eating out at restaurants, Dawn! But then again, sometimes it’s just nice to not have to think…or do dishes. 🙂 Plus, eating out often inspires the recipes that we make back home. I’ve gotta say that the gremolata combined with the pasta + shrimp is a great combo. It’s quick, easy and packed with flavor! Thanks so much, my friend!
Sounds familiar to what happens in our house David! Lynne returns home from work trips away, describes what’s she’s had to eat, and asks me to recreate it! And I’ve never even tasted it either. Just like yourself when Laura asked you to recreate this. Well done on matching what she had. And yes this is an excellent easy weeknight meal. I’m adding it to my list of “must tries”. Have a good weekend. 🙂
Haha! Don’t you love just recreating recipes you’ve never had before, Neil? 🙂 In truth, though, I kinda enjoy it. It’s a fun challenge that breaks up the routine! Definitely put gremolata on your list of things to try…it works perfectly when mixed into pasta! Hope you have a good weekend yourself, and safe travels, my friend!
Pasta. Oh boy! We can live on it for weeks or even months (but sadly we need to restrict themselves to a couple of times per month). But I can literally come up with hundreds of combinations (And knowing you, I didn’t include combinations with lavender), so if you ever need an expert, I can always share some ideas 😉 This version is simple yet delicious and full of flavors. I love gremolata too, and I’ve made a few twists on it by incorporating nuts – that was delicious too!
I agree with you, Ben. I could eat pasta every single night (and it would probably take a while before recipes starting repeating, too). I do appreciate you avoiding the lavender-flavored pasta…at least for me. Hah! You should start a business where you recommend pasta flavors for people. Ooo…I like the idea of including toasted nuts in a gremolata. Sounds delicious!
Keith and I live on this style of pasta dish during the week. Love the idea of gremolata for topping – putting this one on the menu!
I hear ya, Marissa! A quick pasta dish is just that…quick. And there are so many different ways you can take it with flavor. The gremolata in this version brings a ton of freshness. Delicious! Thanks so much, my friend!
Montreal is a fantastic city, I love the Italian district there. Nice, light weeknight pasta dish. I also liked the way you cooked the shrimp, not overdone. Gremolata is a regular around our table, we often add anchovy to ours to give that extra kick. And, I thought pasta was in its own food group. At least it is in my mind.
I hear ya about Montreal, Ron! My wife and I visited a few years back (pre-Robbie), and we had a blast. I was jealous that she got to go back recently, but at least this recipe was the result. And that’s a fun idea to use anchovy in gremolata. I’ll have to keep that in mind for the next time! Cheers, my friend!
David – I love gremolata so much, I always am so tempted by recipes that have it. Also, it’s a great word to say, sounds so fancy! I always love a new pasta recipe, too, particularly with shrimp – it is always quick and easy! Thanks, I am pinning!
Haha…I agree, Laura! Gremolata sounds super fancy, but really it’s just chopped parsley, garlic and lemons. And it’s so tasty! Thanks so much for pinning this one, my friend. Hope you had a great long weekend!
WOA – My hats off to you, my friend! Recreating a dish that you never tasted or even saw is no easy feat! I had no idea what a gremolata was so thanks so much for that! Lil S loves a red sauce too (her ultimate comfort food) but I tend to like the more herby combos and am so digging that gremolata – this is comfort food to me!
Thanks, Shashi! To be fair, I thought it was easier recreating a dish I’d never seen as it meant I had more leeway. Fortunately, though, it worked out well! I never tasted the original, but I’ve gotta say that this version is a new favorite. Gremolata mixed with pasta brings a light of fresh flavors! (Although I’m still like Lil S and love my red sauce, too…haha.)