Why do they leave the tails on shrimp in pasta?

There's a few reasons to leave the tails on shrimp in pasta. It looks more attractive and the shells do impart some flavor into the sauce. The pasta is much easier to eat without them, however, so most home cooks may prefer to remove them.

How do you thicken a sauce of fresh tomatoes?

Fresh tomato sauce thickens by simmering until the water evaporates and the flavors concentrate. Some fresh tomato sauces are cooked quickly while others cook slowly for a longer period of time.

Shrimp Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

Description

This Shrimp Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes is a wonderful summer recipe with the sweetest, most flavorful fresh tomato sauce you’ll ever have.

Ingredients

Scale

8 ounces spaghetti alla chitarra, regular spaghetti or pasta of choice
8 ounces shrimp, cleaned, bottom shell intact
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces spring onions (3-5) or 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 1/4 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 30 cocktail/compari tomatoes) or plum/roma tomatoes
2 pinches hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon butter
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Basil leaves, as needed

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Instructions

Cook onions: Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of oil and onions. Season with salt and hot pepper flakes. Cook slowly, reducing heat to medium-low when needed to prevent browning. Cook a total of about 25-30 minutes or until softened and very sweet.
Blanch and peel tomatoes: While onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a paring knife, score tomatoes by cutting a small ‘x’ through the skin on the bottom of the tomatoes. This will make them easier to peel. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Add tomatoes to boiling water in batches for about 15-30 seconds, or until skin starts to peel away. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to ice water bath. When cooled, drain tomatoes and pat dry. Peel and discard skin. Chop in ½ inch pieces. Keep water in pot warm to later use for pasta.
Cook tomatoes: Add tomatoes, salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the cooked onions. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 1 – 1 ½ hours or until sauce is flavorful and thickened.
Cook pasta: Bring water back to a boil for the pasta. Season very generously with salt and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water.
Cook shrimp: While pasta cooks, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add remaining tablespoon of oil followed by the shrimp. Cook a total of about 3 minutes or until mostly cooked through, flipping half way through. Remove from pan and lower heat to medium.
Finish pasta: Add cooked pasta to pan with enough tomato sauce to coat. Add butter and toss until melted and emulsified. Stir in shrimp and torn basil leaves. Transfer to serving bowls and top with a spoonful of additional sauce, a drizzle of olive oil and torn or small basil leaves. Enjoy.

Notes

I was originally taught to make this recipe with spring onions because they’re so sweet and delicate, but obviously they only have a short growing season and are not widely available. Any kind of white or yellow onion would be a good substitute.
I really love using spaghetti alla chitarra but you can also use regular spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, penne, farfalle or fusilli. This pasta sauce works well with so many different pasta shapes!
For a vegetarian version, omit the shrimp.
In my area, cocktail or compari tomatoes are the sweetest, best variety for this type of preparation. You can also use roma or plum tomatoes. Just make sure they’re as ripe as possible! Sometimes I add a couple pinches of sugar to fresh tomato sauce made with roma tomatoes.
You can do several steps of this recipe in advance. You can either make the entire tomato sauce in advance or get certain steps out of the way. Sauté the onions one night, store them in the fridge and reheat them the next day before adding the tomatoes. Or, blanch and peel the tomatoes in advance.
You can even prepare a double or triple batch of this amazing tomato sauce and freeze it for future meals.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Category: Pasta
Method: Saute
Cuisine: Italian