Spicy Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Garlic

5 from 1 vote

Pesto shrimp is a dish full of zesty basil pesto, white wine, mushrooms, and juicy shrimp tossed in tender pasta.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, seafood main dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 547kcal

In a mixing bowl whisk together the seasoning mixture. Put the shrimp in the mixture and rub the seasoning onto the shrimp. Make sure the shrimp is well coated.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the shrimp to the hot pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side, turning once midway. The shrimp will turn pink and you don't have to cook them all the way. They'll finish cooking in the sauce. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add second Tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Once the pan is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring for about 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms release their liquid, reduce in volume, and get soft.
Add the minced garlic for the last minute of the sautéing mushrooms and cook for an additional minute. Add the cooked shrimp back to the pan.
Stir in the pesto and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the chicken stock and allow the liquid to reduce, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook it according to instructions. Save about 1 cup of the pasta water to add to the shrimp sauce. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse.
Add pasta to the skillet and stir until pasta is fully coated in the pesto alfredo sauce.
Over low heat allow to warm for 2 minutes. Add additional pasta water if the skillet seems dry.
Portion and serve. Season with more salt and additional red pepper flakes, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil.

Adding reserved pasta water to the pesto sauce acts as a natural thickener. You can also add a little of this pasta water to your pasta if the pasta seems somewhat dry at the time of preparing to serve your dish. This is a great alternative to adding oil which will just result in a soggy oily mess.
Something to note is that fresh basil will turn black when in contact with a hot skillet or pot. It’s nothing to worry about, but merely a normal reaction to the heat and it won’t alter the taste of the dish. If you want a sprinkle of green basil upon serving this dish, it’s best to wait until portions are served into bowls.
Only remove the reserved pasta water just prior to draining the pot of pasta. If you do so before, there won’t be enough starch present in the water for the purpose of its use.
Pesto is typically not seasoned that much which means that you should definitely salt the water when making the pasta.