rockin the shrimp

Rock shrimp is awesome. They're like bite-sized lobster tails! The flavor of the sea permeates everything you cook it with. Last night I spun the wheel of pasta sauce ingredients and came up with the fresh and delicious combination of rock shrimp, asparagus, and snap peas. Even though the weather outside wasn't very spring, I tried to bring a little spring flavor inside with some beautiful green veggies.



I paired that up with some bowtie pasta, butter, olive oil, lots of garlic and fresh herbs, and some parmiggiano -reggiano for a 15-minute dinner. Well, not counting the amount of time it takes to boil the water. That can take awhile. My recipe after the jump:

PASTA WITH ROCK SHRIMP, ASPARAGUS AND SNAP PEAS

Ingredients

1 lb bowtie pasta
3/4 lb rock shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 lb asaparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup grated parmiggiano-reggiano
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Boil 4 quarts of water with a generous handful of salt for the pasta. When the water comes to a boil, drop in the snap peas and asaparagus, blanch for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still crisp, and a vibrant bright green. Remove the vegetables with a strainer and set aside to drain, but do not turn off the heat. When the water returns to a boil, add your pasta. About 5 minutes before your pasta will be done, heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the blanched vegetables and saute for another minute. Add the rock shrimp and saute for 2 minutes, until they just begin to turn pink and firm.



Using a strainer, drain the pasta and add to the vegetables and shrimp in the sautee pan, toss to combine. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. (Rock shrimp tend to have a distinct salt water flavor, be careful not to over-salt). Finish with the fresh herbs and cheese.