A vibrant spring onion and chive pesto pasta tossed with sautéed shrimp that's perfect for dinner parties or a quick weeknight meal. Blanched onions and chives make for a mild, creamy pesto that's perfect for tossing with pasta, or just slathering on toast. This recipe makes extra pesto – it will keep well covered in the fridge for 3 days.
- 2 bunches spring onions with greens (6 - 8 small)
- 1 bunch chives (3/4-ounce)
- 1 lemon
- 2 cups parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup raw, hulled pepitas
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces linguine or other ribbon pasta
- 2 pounds raw, deveined shrimp (peeled or unpeeled, see note*), thawed
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- fresh ground pepper
-
Cut green and light green onion stalks from the white or purple bulb. Mince 2 bulbs; reserve remaining bulbs for another use. Zest the lemon, then cut into wedges and reserve.
-
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. While water boils, prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice.
-
Use tongs to plunge onion stalks into boiling water, just until wilted, 30 - 60 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Repeat process with the chives. Set pot and water aside – you'll want to use the same pot to cook pasta.
-
Squeeze ice water from onions and chives and set in the bowl of a food processor. Add parsley, pepitas, olive oil, zest of the lemon, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Pulse until combined, then process just until smooth. Add sea salt to taste. Set aside.
-
Bring water used to blanche onions back up to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water for plating pasta.
-
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add reserved minced onions and sauté shrimp, working in batches so as not to crowd it. Sprinkle each batch with sea salt and pepper. Cook 1 - 2 minutes per side, until shrimp pinks up and is slightly firm to the touch. As you cook, add additional 2 tablespoons olive oil as needed. Remove cooked onions and shrimp to a platter or large bowl. Toss shrimp and onions with a squeeze of lemon juice.
-
Remove skillet from heat. Toss to combine sautéed onions and shrimp, pasta, and 1/2 cup pesto. Add additional pesto to taste and several splashes pasta water as needed to thin mixture. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
-
Serve immediately with a lemon wedge on the side.
*To thaw frozen shrimp, set in a bowl of water under a trickle of cold running water for several minutes. Toss shrimp periodically. Shrimp should thaw in about 20 minutes.
**Though peeled shrimp are easiest to work with, unpeeled shrimp have superior flavor. Go with whatever makes sense for you. When buying shrimp, I look for shrimp from the USA since imported shrimp can be caught up in exploitative labor practices.