Shrimp Orecchiette
This Shrimp Orecchiette recipe, sautéed in white wine and lemon butter, is an easy restaurant style meal that's ready in just 20 minutes.
This post was created in partnership with Mer Soleil. All opinions are our own.
Simple shrimp pasta, serious flavor
Orecchiette is my go-to pasta for this dish because the shape does something most pasta can't. The little cup catches the white wine and lemon butter sauce in every bite so you get the full flavor from start to finish. That's not an accident. Italian cooks have been pairing this pasta with seafood and light sauces for centuries.
The technique is simple but the details matter. The shrimp cook in two minutes per side and come out of the pan before anything else goes in. The butter goes in off the heat. Both of those steps are what separates a silky, restaurant quality sauce from one that's greasy or overcooked. Like our Linguine alle Vongole and Lemon Shrimp Pasta, this one is ready in 20 minutes and tastes like it took much longer.
Jump to:
What you'll need
- Orecchiette pasta: the cup shape catches the sauce in every bite. No orecchiette? Spaghetti, fettucine, or penne all work.
- Shrimp: fresh raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. Extra large or jumbo for best texture.
- Sugar snap peas and green peas: fresh is best. Frozen green peas work fine, just thaw before adding.
- Garlic scapes: find them at the farmers market in early summer. Green onion is a perfectly good substitute.
- White wine: a dry Chardonnay or Sauvingon Blanc. We love this with Mer Soleil Silver.
- Butter: added off the heat to keep the sauce silky.
- Fresh basil: julienned and added at the very end to preserve its color and brightness.
👉 See recipe card below for exact quantities.
🔪 Top tip
Find garlic scapes at your local farmers market in the late spring and early summer. They have a milder, sweeter flavor than garlic cloves and add a subtle depth to the dish. Green onion works perfectly as a substitute if you can't find them.
One pan, start to finish
- Cook the pasta first. Al dente is important here. The pasta finishes cooking in the sauce, so pulling it a minute early keeps the texture right.
- Sear the shrimp quickly. Two minutes per side in a hot pan with olive oil. Pull them out the minute they turn pink. They'll finish warming through when they go back in with the pasta.
- Build the vegetable base. Sugar snap peas and garlic scapes go into the same pan. Four minutes tossing frequently, then add the remaining olive oil and whole garlic clove for two more minutes.
- Bring it together. Add wine, green peas, pasta, and shrimp back to the pan. Cook until most of the wine evaporates, about 3 minutes. The sauce will reduce and concentrate.
- Finish off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat before adding butter and lemon juice. This is what keeps the sauce silky rather than broken or greasy.
- Plate and garnish. Transfer to a serving plate, grate Parmesan generously over the top, and finish with julienned fresh basil.
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email it straight to your inbox plus you'll get our best recipes delivered most Fridays, straight from Keith's kitchen.
Make ahead and storage
- Make ahead: the sauce components can be prepped in advance but the dish is best assembled fresh. Cook the shrimp and vegetables ahead and refrigerate separately for up to a day.
- Store: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavors actually improve overnight.
- Reheat: warm gently in a sauté pan with a little butter or olive over medium low heat. Avoid the microwave if possible. It toughens the shrimp.
- Freeze: not recommended. Shrimp becomes rubbery and pasta loses its texture once thawed.
🍤 More shrimp recipes
FAQ
Yes, extra large shrimp or jumbo shrimp work best. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before cooking and pat dry to prevent excess water in the pan.
A dry white with good acidity works best. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc are both great choices. Use something you'd actually drink alongside the dish.
Orecchiette means "little ears" in Italian. The cup shape is what makes it ideal for this recipe. It catches the sauce so every bite is full of flavor.
Related recipes
🍅 making this recipe?
- Please feel free to reach out with questions. We're happy to help.
- If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shrimp Orecchiette recipe
This shrimp orecchiette is a light, restaurant quality shrimp pasta ready in 20 minutes. White wine, lemon butter, and fresh vegetables bring it all together.
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 3 to 4 portions 1x
Ingredients
- 8 oz orecchiette pasta
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 6 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup garlic scapes, diced (or green onion)
- 4 oz sugar snap peas
- 1 cup dry white wine (we like Chardonnay)
- 4 oz fresh green peas
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese to taste
- 4 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Cook Pasta al dente according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes per side until pink and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add sugar snap peas and garlic scapes to the same pan. Cook for 4 minutes, tossing frequently.
- Add remaining olive oil and and whole garlic clove. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add white wine, green peas, cooked pasta, and shrimp. Cook until most of the wine is evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add butter and lemon juice and stir until butter is fully melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to serving plate, grate Parmesan over the top, and garnish with julienned basil leaves.
Notes
- Don't overcook the shrimp. Two minutes per side is all you need. Overcooked shrimp turn rubbery quickly. Pull them from the pan the moment they turn pink and opaque.
- Add butter off the heat. Removing the pan from heat before adding butter creates a silky, emulsified sauce rather than a greasy one. This is the step that makes the dish taste restaurant quality.
- Save a splash of pasta water. If the sauce looks too thick after adding the butter, stir in a tablespoon or two of reserved pasta water to loosen it without diluting the flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: entrée
- Cuisine: American Seafood
