Lemon Spaghetti with Feta and Shrimp
Recipe Mari Loewen, Food Styling Carol Dudar, Photography Summerhill Market
This Lemon Spaghetti with Feta and Shrimp is one of my all-time favourite recipes. I first shared a version years ago, but it's even better now thanks to one simple ingredient: Macedonian feta. Creamy, salty and beautifully briny, it melts into the lemony sauce to create the most incredible pasta. It's also become one of the best-selling prepared meals at Summerhill Market. If you make one pasta this week, let it be this one.
Ingredients
1 pound shrimp, peeled, tail-on
1 package good-quality spaghetti
2 lemons, zested reserving lemons
¼ cup butter
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1 cup Macedonian feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup hot marinated eggplant, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil leaves to garnish
Preparation
In large pasta pot of generously salted water, cook spaghetti to just before al dente stage, about 5 minutes, it will finish cooking in the final stage. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta water. Leave pasta in pot.
Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium to high heat, add drizzle of olive oil and place zested lemons cut side down and sear about 3 minutes, then remove and set aside.
In same skillet, reduce heat to medium, add butter and garlic and cook for ½ minute; add shrimp, lemon zest, and pepper flakes, and sear shrimp slightly about 1 minute each side. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add cooked pasta to same skillet and squeeze in juice from reserved seared lemons. Add chopped eggplant, Parmigiano Reggiano and half the feta, and toss with ½ cup reserved pasta water. Turn up heat and toss until water has evaporated and pasta is cooked to el dente stage and well coated. Add more pasta water if you need to, you want pasta to get really creamy and velvety.
Just before serving, mix in the parsley. Transfer pasta to large platter and top with remaining feta and garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
