Spicy Mexican Shrimp Pasta

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Ingredients

1 pound jumbo shell-on shrimp , peeled and deveined, shells reserved
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt , plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 medium cloves garlic (50 g)
5 serrano chiles , stemmed, deveined, and seeded if desired (see notes)
1 pound dried linguine or fettuccine
2 teaspoons grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons lime juice from 1 whole lime , divided
1 loosely packed cup fresh cilantro leaves , minced

1

Cut shrimp in half crosswise. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and baking soda. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add butter and reserved shrimp shells and heat over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and bubbling and shells are bright orange, 7 to 10 minutes. In a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, strain butter with shells. Discard shells and return shrimp-infused butter to skillet.
3

In a mortar and pestle, smash serranos and garlic into a rough paste; alternatively, finely mince by hand. Set aside.
4

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta, stirring frequently for first 30 seconds to prevent sticking, until pasta is just shy of al dente (about 2 minutes less than package directions). Drain pasta, reserving 2 cupscooking water.
5

Return skillet with butterto medium heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shrimp to a bowl or plate.
6

Reduce heat to medium-low and add crushed serranos and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture softens and is aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes.
7

Remove pan from heat. Stir in lime juice.
8

Large skillet, large pot, fine-mesh strainer, mortar and pestle, zester
9

The heat of serrano chiles varies greatly. It&