2.165

19 (Sun) June 2011

Spaghetti with Shrimp in Basil-Cream Sauce

3.5

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

solo

To great success, this was my first time incorporating stock into a pasta sauce.  With a handful of whole shrimp, I peeled the shells and tossed them into a pot of water with a sachet d’epices and mire poix, bringing it to a gentle boil and letting it simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strained and added to the mix, the stock gave the sauce a significant boost of shrimp flavor, a layer of complexity to the base richness of the cream, butter, and parmesan.  Accordingly, it tasted like a shrimp dish, as opposed to a pasta dish garnished with shrimp as an afterthought.

In fact, the cream, butter, and parmesan seemed like an afterthought, making me think that the stock alone may be the way to go next time.

Also, I’m beginning to think that shrimp and basil are ideal partners, an idea that first occurred to me when I attempted a tomato-basil shrimp bisque a few months back (see 2.063 Tomato-Basil Shrimp Bisque).  Something about the sweet brininess of shrimp and the sweet spiciness of basil go so well together.

(See also FOODS.)

(See also PLACES.)