Are you ready for one of the most delicious seafood pasta dishes you can imagine? Yes, I’m very confident in this recipe that’s seriously one of my all-time favorites. This incredibly flavorful shrimp pasta with cherry tomatoes and garlic is unbelievably satisfying and yet surprisingly easy to make. It tastes like summer, sun, and sea – perfect for this time of the year or whenever you’re craving the taste of summer and vacation.
That’s why I thought this dinner would be perfect for my high protein summer pasta series. It packs 35 g of protein per serving and also vitamins from the tomatoes, but honestly – when you eat it you won’t even think about that because it’s just so good!
I cannot even describe how unbelievably flavorful the creamy sauce made form sweet cherry tomatoes is. The flavors of shrimp and tomato just burst so wonderfully in your mouth, you won’t get enough of it and will want so savor every single bite. And yet, this beautiful pasta dish doesn’t even need many ingredients and is quite simple to make.
I’ll admit, peeling the shrimps can be a bit of a hassle, but once you get the hang of it it’s fairly easy. And while it’s time consuming, it’s so worth it! I just put on some good music in the background and the minutes just fly by. And soon after that you’ll have lovely shrimp meat and an incredibly flavorful stock from the peels. But if you’re short on time, you could also get peeled shrimp and use a store-bought seafood stock instead of making it yourself. If you have the time, though, I can only encourage you to make it yourself – it’s super easy and, personally, I like to put in some extra minutes and make everything from scratch. It just takes this amazing ditch up a notch.
So without further ado – let’s get to the recipe. I really hope you make it because, as I mentioned, it’s one of my favorite pasta dishes (and honestly, one of my favorite dishes at all). I can’t stop making it since I first had it and after some experimenting I’m very excited to finally share it with you! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 800 g unpeeled shrimps
- 600 g cherry tomatoes
- 320 g pasta (such as tagliatelle or spaghetti)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp white wine or white wine vinegar
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1/4-1 tsp chili flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
Recipe:
I. Make the seafood stock
- Start by peeling your shrimps. I find that it’s easiest to first break off the head and then open up the peel from under the shrimp and gently pull it off. It might take you a few tries until you don’t struggle anymore if you’ve never peeled shrimps before, but after just a few shrimps it should be fairly easy – and after just another few you won’t even have to think about what you’re doing.
- Place the edible parts – the rosy meat – in a bowl and set them aside for later. Place the heads and peels in a separate bowl. You’ll need these for the stock – they’re going to make this whole dish so incredibly flavorful once you’ve made a seafood stock out of them.
- Put a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 3-5 peeled garlic cloves, and all the inedible shrimp parts. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the white wine or white wine vinegar.
- Once the vinegar has reduced significantly and has almost entirely evaporated, add 1 liter of hot water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Let the seafood stock simmer for 15-30 minutes. It should be red by the time you turn off the heat and have a very strong flavor when you taste it.
- When the stock is ready, pour it through a fine-meshed sieve to sort out the inedible shrimp parts. Set the seafood stock aside.
II. Prepare the remaining ingredients
- While the seafood stock is simmering, you can already move on to this step.
- Wash she tomatoes and cut them in halves.
- Peel the remaining 1-2 garlic cloves and crush them.
III. Cook the shrimps
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4-1 tsp of chili flakes, depending on how hot you like your pasta. Fry for about 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp meat, along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Cook the shrimps from each side for 2-3 minutes until crispy and brown on the outside yet tender inside. Avoid overcooking as it makes them dry and chewy.
- Transfer the cooked shrimps to a bowl and set them aside.
III. Make the sauce
- To the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, turning down the heat to medium.
- Add the halved tomatoes and the crushed garlic, along with a pinch or two of salt and some grinds of pepper. While cooking, stir occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break up.
- Pour in the seafood stock you made and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat just slightly and let the sauce simmer for 10-20 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked down and the sauce has thickened.
- Once the sauce it ready, turn off the heat and add the yogurt. This will make the sauce so beautifully creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
IV. Cook the Pasta
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- Before draining, reserve some pasta water in case you need to loose up your sauce.
V. Serve
- Toss the shrimps and pasta with the tomato sauce until everything is evenly coated. Add a splash of pasta water if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning one last time.
- Serve warm with a crisp summery side salad or fresh baguette to dip in the sauce.
Notes:
- The seafood stock can easily be prepared some hours in advance and kept in a bowl with the lid on. Just make sure to store the peeled shrimp meat in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Fancy a drink? White wine goes wonderfully with this shrimp pasta!
- Need to save time? You can buy peeled shrimps and use a good store-bought seafood stock.
Nutritional values (approximately):
- Calories: 560-570 g
- Protein: 35-36 g
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Carbs: 64-65 g
- Sugar: 7-8 g
- Fiber: 4-4.5 g
- Salt: 0.5-1 g
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