Butter and scotch shrimps with creamy lemon pasta

This is a dish for special occasions, like dinner for two :). This way of preparing shrimps (by drowning them in butter and scotch and frying them in a hot pan) makes them taste so good that I think this is a nice recipe to start with if you're just warming yourself up to seafood. In this recipe, you can't taste the sometimes unpleasant sea after-taste that shrimps and other sea fruits occasionally have. The side that goes with them is a creamy, herby and lemony pasta, the fancier the better. :)

Last year: Quiche Lorraine (French).
Two years ago: No cooking :).




Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 scallions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons creme fraiche
• juice and zest from half a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs, fresh or dry
• 200 g artisan pasta (we used capunti ortolano, but orrecchiete would also work well)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 250 g raw medium-large shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 20-30 ml scotch (or single malt whiskey)

Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped scallions.

After 2-3 minutes, add the cream, lemon juice and zest and the herbs. Mix well and remove from the heat. When the pasta is done, add it to the pan, together with 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Next, the shrimps. Heat butter in another small pan. Add the scotch and the shrimps.

Cook them for 3-5 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving plates together with their butter-scotch sauce. Complete the serving plates with the creamy pasta.

It's done, dig in! :)