Cooking Classics
The Technique
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
My husband fell in love with this dish long before he fell in love with me. Scouts honor. Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo is one of those dishes everyone loves. I’ve found that when you order it in a restaurant, the quality & consistency can be hit or miss so I prefer to prepare it in my own home & you can too with a little know-how. Some of the key points are that you should use the freshest seafood possible & the Alfredo sauce needs to be relatively thick before adding all of the items to it just before serving… and it should be well balanced. Often times a plate is placed in front of me only to find noodles swimming in a thin reduction of mostly heavy cream that lacks taste. Follow my pointers & prepare to make a recipe for love.
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
makes 4 servings
1 lb {21-25 count} fresh Alabama Gulf shrimp
12-oz fettuccine pasta
1 pint whipping cream
8 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 scallions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, pressed
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: Parmesan cheese
Peel & the devein shrimp. Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Reduce the cream with 6 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan over Medium-High heat. Whisk the mixture occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper. You want the reduction to be a little tight. Smooth it out by adding in the lemon juice. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan over High-ish heat. Add the garlic & the scallions. Cook for about a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the shrimp, toss in a hefty pinch of salt & pepper & cook a couple of minutes until the shrimp is almost cooked through.
i don’t mean to alarm you, but at this point
it’s a little bit of a race to the finish…
multi-tasking skills are a real plus as you have three burners on the stove in play
if that’s not your thing an extra set of hands will do
it’s not difficult
i just want you to know what to expect ahead of time
Place the reduction back over Medium-Low heat. Add the shrimp, the pasta & the parsley. Toss it together real good with a pair of tongs. Cook a minute or two longer to finish the shrimp & tighten the sauce a bit more. Serve right away.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
This is one of those recipes no one can seem to get enough of. With a little preparation ahead, it’s easy to maneuver come meal time. Mise en place all of your ingredients which simply means to chop & measure them ahead. It’s well worth it to make this in your own home rather than ordering it from a restaurant as quality & consistency can be real issues. Follow my pointers for this classic main dish favorite.
The Technique
A few pieces of equipment will be needed in order to complete the task. Read through the recipe before beginning. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
The recipe wouldn’t be saucy enough with an entire 16-ounce package of pasta. Sometimes I’ll pull the pasta off the heat a minute or two early. Let it stand in the water until you’re ready to drain & toss into the sauce.
No. 2
Get to know your local fishmonger. Steer clear of the frozen bags from other countries in the grocery store. Cut a small slit down the back & rinse clean under cool water to devein shrimp. The count is a range of how many shrimp to expect per pound.
No. 3
The lemon adds balance & zip. Although I do not call for it in this recipe, you can certainly add a little zest for more depth. Hold the microplane grater over a cutting board, allowing the tip to rest over the surface at an angle. Swipe just the outer portion of the lemon over the tool towards the board. Turn the fruit after each swipe. You only want to collect zest with color & not the white, bitter pith just underneath the surface. Repeat the process until you have collected the amount you’d like to add to the recipe. A Dutch oven will work in a pinch if you don’t have a large pan. It provides plenty of room to toss everything together easily. Use a microplane grater for feathery Parmesan cheese. It will melt quickly & evenly in the reduction.
The Tune
“All Of Me” Billie Holiday
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Be sweet.
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