Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

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(from Bethany’s recipe box)

Serves 4
In step 5, if your skillet is not broiler-safe, once the pasta is tender transfer the mixture to a broiler-safe 13 by 9-inch baking dish lightly coated with olive oil; scatter the shrimp over the pasta and stir them in to partially submerge. Broil and serve as directed. Serve this dish with lemon wedges.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Traditional recipes for fideuà can take several hours to prepare. We wanted to streamline the recipe but keep the deep flavors of the classic recipes. To replace the slow-cooked fish stock of the classics, we made a quick shrimp stock using the shrimp’s shells, a combination of chicken broth and water, and a bay leaf. We also saved some time by streamlining the sofrito, the aromatic base common in Spanish cooking, by finely mincing the onion and using canned tomatoes (instead of fresh), which helped the recipe components soften and brown more quickly. The final tweak to our recipe was boosting the flavor of the shrimp by quickly marinating them in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Season 13: A Taste of Spain

Categories: Fish and Seafood, Pasta

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced (1 tablespoon)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds extra large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 ounces spaghettini or thin spaghetti, broken into 1- to 2-inch lengths
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped fine
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. Place reserved shrimp shells, water, chicken broth, and bay leaf in medium bowl. Cover and microwave until liquid is hot and shells have turned pink, about 6 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

  3. Toss spaghettini and 2 teaspoons oil in broiler-safe 12-inch skillet until spaghettini is evenly coated. Toast spaghettini over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and nutty in aroma (spaghettini should be color of peanut butter), 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer spaghettini to bowl. Wipe out skillet with paper towel.

  4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and beginning to brown around edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, dry, and slightly darkened in color, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, and anchovy paste. Cook until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add spaghettini and stir to combine. Adjust oven rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

  5. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into skillet. Add wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly thickened and spaghettini is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Scatter shrimp over spaghettini and stir shrimp into spaghettini to partially submerge. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until shrimp are opaque and surface of spaghettini is dry with crisped, browned spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately, passing lemon wedges separately.

  6. TECHNIQUE – IT’S A SNAP: Since traditional short fideos noodles are hard to find, we came up with an easy way to break long strands into even lengths. Loosely fold 4 ounces of spaghettini in kitchen towel, keeping pasta flat, not bunched. Position so that 1 to 2 inches of pasta rests on counter and remainder of pasta hangs off edge. Pressing bundle against counter, press down on long end of towel to break strands into pieces, sliding bundle back over edge after each break.

  7. TECHNIQUE – WEEKNIGHT SPANISH-STYLE PASTA WITH SHRIMP: A series of shortcuts allowed us to create this traditionally labor-intensive, paella-like dish in a single skillet in just an hour. SEASON SHRIMP Marinating shrimp in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper infuses them with flavor as we prepare other ingredients. MAKE INSTANT STOCK Microwaving shrimp shells with diluted chicken broth and a bay leaf creates quick, suprisingly rich-tasting broth. TOAST NOODLES Cooking pasta (broken into pieces) in a skillet with olive oil until well browned develops deep, nutty flavor. COOK IN BROTH Simmering the noodles in stock and a quick sofrito of sauteed onion, garlic, and tomatoes lets them soak up lots of flavor. ADD SHRIMP; BROIL Partially submerging the shrimp under the pasta and then transferring the skillet to the broiler creates a crisp, browned crust.

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