A Simple And Quick Shrimp Dish

When I want to eat a fast meal that requires little prep and cooking time I turn to shrimp. It is no secret that the amount of time it takes to cook a shrimp is about 2 minutes which is why making a simple shrimp dish is fairly easy.

My favorite go-to shrimp dish is shrimp and angel hair pasta. Of all pastas, the angel hair takes the least amount of cooking time because it is so thin. I use frozen shrimp in the bag that can be found in the frozen food section of my grocery store so when it comes time to cook the shrimp I simply take it out of the freezer and empty the bag of frozen shrimp in a bowl of water. In just 15 minutes, the shrimp are defrosted and ready to cook. For this dish I like to peel the shrimp before I cook them but that is a matter of personal preference. You don't have to do that in order to make this dish work.

To start off, bring a pot of water to a full boil for the pasta. While that is boiling you might want to start on anything else you are serving with the meal. Most of the time I make a green salad on the side. When the water is boiling put the pasta in the water. For 2 people and 2 small kids I use 1/2 pound of pasta. Stir the pasta in the water to separate it and let it cook.

While that is cooking, heat up a skillet on medium high heat and add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. I season the shrimp with salt and pepper. I also add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes to the oil in the pan to infuse the oil with a little spice. Once the oil is heated toss the shrimp in and let them cook. Stir them up a little bit to keep the shrimp moving around. It only takes a few minutes for the shrimp to turn pink.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it off and put it in a serving dish. I then add some drizzles of olive oil or you can also add butter. Either is fine but you should add something or the pasta will stick and dry out. I also add a little bit of garlic powder to my taste to give it a little more flavor. After the flavorings are added, I toss in the cooked shrimp and serve up.

This dish takes no more than 15 minutes and I have used it many times when I needed to cook in a very short time frame.

Bon Appetit