Shrimp & Wine Spaghetti

This shrimp spaghetti builds a proper tomato sauce from scratch and cooks the shrimp right in it, so every bite is soaked with garlic, wine, and herb flavor. It’s the kind of weeknight seafood pasta that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you did.

The sauce simmers for 25 minutes before the shrimp go in, giving the tomatoes time to break down and the white wine to cook off its raw alcohol edge. What’s left is a concentrated, slightly sweet sauce with basil and oregano running through it. The sugar isn’t about making it sweet. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

Shrimp only need about 5 minutes in the simmering sauce. They’re done when they curl into a C shape and turn pink. Overcook them and they go rubbery and tough. Add them at the end and they stay tender and plump.

The cornstarch slurry at the finish thickens the sauce just enough to cling to the spaghetti instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Chef Tips

• Don’t skip the garlic. This recipe calls for a generous amount, and it’s the backbone of the whole sauce.
• Use a dry white wine. It adds acidity and depth. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it.
• Add the shrimp only after the sauce has fully simmered. Cooking shrimp for the full 25 minutes turns them into rubber bands.
• Toss the hot spaghetti directly into the sauce rather than ladling sauce on top. The pasta absorbs more flavor when it finishes in the pan.

Variations

• Mixed seafood: Add scallops or mussels alongside the shrimp for a more restaurant-style seafood pasta.
• Spicy arrabbiata: Add red pepper flakes to the sauce when you saute the garlic for a version with heat.