🦐 Shrimp Scampi Tagliatelle in Shell-Infused Broth

Whether your shrimp are raw or pre-cooked, this dish starts with a sizzling garlic-shell base that turns into a quick seafood broth, cooked down and strained to infuse your pasta with ocean flavor.

I first made this scampi with Jennifer, a new housemate who, like me, loves cooking as much as eating. We prepared it for Nichole’s farewell dinner our thoughfull German traveling mate. Laughing our way through the recipe as we adapted it with cooked shrimp and a quick shell broth. It was improvised, joyful, and exactly what cooking with others is about.

📝 Ingredients (serves 2)

• 200 g tagliatelle (fresh or dry)

• 500 g shrimp (raw or pre-cooked, shells and/or heads included)

• 3 garlic cloves (12 g), sliced

• 30 ml extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)

• 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp, optional)

• 80 ml dry white wine

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp lemon juice (45 ml)

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Optional: chili flakes

🍳 Instructions

1. Separate shrimp and prep shells

• If using raw shrimp: peel and devein, reserving shells and heads.

• If using cooked shrimp: remove shells/heads (if they came whole) and keep them.

• Set shrimp meat aside, refrigerated.

⚠️ If your shrimp are pre-cooked, taste them first, they may already be salty, so reduce salt in the sauce if needed.

2. Make garlic-shell base

• In a wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

• Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to infuse the oil.

• Add shrimp shells and heads, stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until deeply aromatic and lightly browned.

3. Create broth

• Add 600 ml of water to the pot with the shells.

• Add 10 g salt per liter of water (about ½ tbsp for this batch).

• Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes. Add salt to taste.

• Strain through a fine sieve. Do not blend. Discard solids, now you have shrimp broth.

4. Cook the pasta in shrimp broth

• Return the strained broth to the heat and bring back to a boil.

• Add the tagliatelle and cook until al dente.

• Reserve ½ cup of broth before draining.

5. Build the scampi sauce

• In a wide pan, pour 3 table spoons of extra virging olive oil and 2 full tbsp of butter (if using) and melt it.

• Bloom the garlic in the fat for about 30 sec.

• Toss in shrimp:
  – If cooked: toss gently 1 minute just to warm through and make them release their juices into the sauce, then take them out for topping the pasta at the very end.

  
  – If raw: cook 1–2 minutes per side until just pink.

• Add lemon zest, lemon juice, chili flakes (optional), salt and pepper.

• Pour in the white wine (A good one! you dont want your fancy meal to taste like cheap wine) and let it reduce for 1–2 minutes.

6. Combine and finish

• Add drained tagliatelle to the pan.

• Add a splash of reserved broth and toss to coat.

• Finish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

🌿 Kuisit Tip

Boiling your pasta in shrimp-shell broth is a small step with massive impact. Don’t skip the straining, blending would cloud the sauce. If your shrimp are already cooked, remember to just toss them a little into the butter sauce base.