Gochujang Shrimp Pasta
Easy but exciting, this five-ingredient pasta dish is spiked with spicy gochujang, a Korean red chile paste that provides heat and complexity. Chopping the shrimp into bite-size pieces before cooking ensures that they will distribute more evenly in the finished dish, leaving you with perfect bite after perfect bite. Once that’s done, sear the chopped shrimp in olive oil, set them aside, then toss in scallions, halved cherry tomatoes, gochujang and a splash of pasta water for a supereasy pan sauce. Toss with your cooked pasta and shrimp until everything comes together and is slicked with vibrant sauce.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 1pound large peeled and deveined shrimp, cut crosswise into plump, bite-size pieces
- ¼cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1pound spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine
- 12scallions (about 2 large bunches), trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2(10-ounce) packages cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼cup gochujang (or other complex spicy condiment like Sriracha, chile crisp or harissa, added to taste)
Instructions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. In a medium bowl, toss the chopped shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.Step 2
While the water comes to a boil, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, just until light pink and no more gray remains, 2 to 3 minutes. (The shrimp will cook through later when tossed with the hot pasta.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl.Step 3
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then transfer the pasta to a colander to drain.Step 4
While the pasta cooks, add the scallions to the oil in the skillet, season with ½ teaspoon salt and stir until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and gochujang and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened and sauce is glossy, about 6 minutes.Step 5
Add the cooked pasta, ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and the shrimp to the skillet and cook over medium heat, tossing until shrimp is cooked through and pasta is combined and glossy, about 2 minutes. (Add a couple tablespoons of the pasta water as needed until the sauce is slightly loose.) Season to taste with salt.Step 6
Divide pasta among bowls, spoon the shrimp and sauce on top and drizzle with additional olive oil to serve. (Do be generous with the olive oil; it offsets the heat of the gochujang and adds the necessary fat to tame the acidity of the tomato-based sauce.)