2cupscooked shrimp, thawed *see Notes below for using raw shrimp
Creamy Lemon Sauce:
1cupheavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
2Tablespoonssalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1Tablespoonlemon zest
1Tablespoonslemon juice, plus more, to taste
1/4cupParmesan, grated, plus more for garnish
1/4cupreserved pasta cooking water, plus more, if needed
For garnish:
Lemon slices
Pea shoots, optional
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Boil water in a large pot and salt generously. Cook pasta per package directions. Trim the tips off the asparagus, cutting down to about 3 inches from the tip. Add the asparagus tips into the boiling water with the pasta for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, heat the cream, butter salt and pepper in a large skillet over low heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and Parmesan and stir to combine. Add the thawed shrimp to the sauce. For cooked shrimp, heat just until warmed and then turn the heat off under the pan until the pasta is ready. For raw shrimp, simmer in the sauce until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Keep warm over low heat until the pasta is done.
If draining pasta and asparagus, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside before draining, otherwise, use tongs to transfer the pasta and asparagus to the skillet with the cream/shrimp mixture. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and cook over medium-low heat, tossing well, until well coated and the shrimp is warmed through. Taste and add more salt, pepper, additional lemon juice and/or additional pasta cooking water, as needed.
Serve garnished with lemon slices, additional Parmesan cheese and pea shoots, if desired.
Notes
If starting with raw shrimp, thaw by running under cold water, then add to the sauce. Allow to simmer in the sauce until the shrimp is pink and cooked through before adding the cooked pasta.Don't forget to scoop out a cup or so of pasta cooking water before draining your pasta, to use to thin the sauce, as needed. If your pasta seems to seize up a bit near the end, adding a bit of the pasta cooking water will loosen it up.For my photos here, I put the shrimp and asparagus on top of the pasta, so you could see all the lovely ingredients of this pasta. You can do that and mix it at the table if you'd like to present it this way. That said, the easier way to make this dish is to just mix everything up together in the pan, so the delicious sauce coats everything, and serve it already mixed. That's the way I've written the recipe below.Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe.