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.
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.
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.
*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.