Shrimp & Wine-Sauced Spaghetti

This shrimp spaghetti keeps things lean and bright. The sauce builds from sauteed scallions and garlic simmered with cut tomatoes, white wine, basil, and oregano for 25 minutes. That slow simmer breaks the tomatoes down into a light, fragrant sauce that clings to the pasta without weighing it down.

A touch of sugar in the sauce isn’t sweetness for its own sake. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes and the sharpness of the wine, rounding out the sauce so no single flavor dominates.

The shrimp go in for just five minutes at the end, which is exactly right. Overcooked shrimp turn rubbery and squeaky. You want them just pink and curled into a C-shape. A cornstarch slurry stirred in at the finish gives the sauce enough body to coat the spaghetti strands rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Chef Tips

• Use the tomato liquid. The recipe calls for undrained tomatoes, and that juice is part of the sauce. Don’t pour it off or you’ll end up with a dry, thick paste instead of a saucy coating.
• Add shrimp only when the sauce is at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. High heat toughens shellfish.
• Mix the cornstarch slurry thoroughly with cold water before adding. Lumps of raw cornstarch in your sauce are hard to rescue.

Variations

• Scallop swap: Replace shrimp with bay scallops. They cook in the same amount of time and add a sweeter, more delicate flavor.
• Spicy arrabbiata style: Add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the garlic for a gentle heat that builds through the simmer.