It may look like a dish straight out of a fancy restaurant but you won’t believe how easy it is to make this delicious pistachio pesto shrimp pasta at home! Pistachio pesto is an excellent alternative to traditional basil pesto and pairs perfectly with shrimp. Just a handful of ingredients and this dish is ready in the time it takes to boil your pasta.
As a matter of fact I did enjoy this beautiful pistachio pesto shrimp pasta at an elegant restaurant during my recent trip to Sicily! Ristorante La Perla, located in my parent’s hometown of Naso (Messina) has an extensive and most impressive menu of fresh fish and seafood caught daily off the shores of Sicily.
And one of the most memorable dishes that we enjoyed that evening was this incredibly simple but flavorful seafood pasta dish.
Linguine tossed with creamy pistachio pesto (without a drop of cream added!) and tossed with fresh shrimp. That’s all there is to it!
But of course it’s all about the use of the freshest local ingredients: pistachios grown in Bronte, at the foot of Mt Etna; Sicilian olive oil and freshly caught shrimp.
This dish is easy enough to enjoy as a a quick, weeknight family dinner or impress your dinner guests with this wonderful shrimp and pesto pasta recipe!
Ingredient list
- Pistachios: raw, unsalted
- Garlic
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese: yes I am adding cheese to this pesto even though it will be paired with seafood!
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Linguine: or pasta shape of your choice including spaghetti or shorter shapes such as penne or fusilli.
- Shrimp: fresh or frozen (defrosted), peeled and deveined. The shrimp shown above are in fact raw although they are pink!
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the pistachio pesto
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pistachio pesto: add all ingredients for the pesto in the bowl of your food processor (pistachios; garlic; grated cheese; basil and olive oil).
- Process until smooth. Taste and add salt, if needed.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Assemble the dish
- Add salt to the pot of boiling water and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than suggested on the package, until very al dente.
- Heat olive oil in a large enough skillet to hold the pasta.
- Add the remaining minced garlic clove and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for a minute on each side. Do not overcook! Transfer to a plate.
- Pour the pistachio pesto into the same pan. Add a ladle or two of starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce. The sauce will have a creamy consistency.
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water, and add to the pan with the pesto.
- Stir to combine the pasta with the pesto. If needed add extra water and cook, stirring, until the pasta reaches the desired level of doneness.
- Toss the reserved shrimp back into the pan and drizzle a little extra olive oil over the dish.
- Serve immediately topped with extra chopped pistachios to garnish.
Recipe Notes
-If you’re not a fan of pistachio pesto, try this recipe with basil pesto instead.
-For a dairy free version of this recipe, omit the grated Pecorino Romano cheese from the pistachio pesto.
-For a vegetarian version, omit the shrimp and simply serve the pasta with pistachio pesto. Or try adding sautéed or grilled vegetables instead!
-Try adding a few sprigs of parsley along with the basil to your pesto.
-I made this dish with linguine as I enjoyed in Sicily, however just about any pasta shape will do such as spaghetti; bucatini or even shorter pasta such as penne or fusilli.
-Adding pasta cooking water to the pistachio pesto as well as when tossing in the pasta at the end of cooking is crucial for several reasons: it helps thin out the sauce; the starch in the water gives the pesto a creamier texture and helps adhere the sauce to the pasta. Do no skip this step!
-In order to prevent the shrimp from overcooking, remove from the pan before adding the pistachio pesto and pasta. Stir them in at the end, just before serving.
-If you prefer smaller pieces of shrimp distributed in your pasta, cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces.
-This pasta is best eaten immediately, however if you happen to have any leftovers they may be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
*****
Check out more easy pasta dishes!
- Pasta with Ricotta
- Swordfish Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Sicilian Pasta with Creamy Pistachio Sauce
- Pasta with Broccoli
- Pasta with Zucchini and Mushrooms
- Creamy Chickpeas with Pasta
- Sicilian Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs
- Swiss Chard and White Bean Pasta
- Pasta with Breadcrumbs (muddica)
- Sicilian Pasta with Cauliflower
- Pasta with Tuna and Peas in Cream Sauce
- Pasta with Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the pistachio pesto
- 1 cup pistachios raw, unsalted
- 1 clove garlic
- 5-6 basil leaves
- 2 tbsp. Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt to taste
For the pasta
- 340 grams shrimp fresh or frozen (defrosted), shelled and deveined
- 2 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for drizzling on top
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 360 grams linguine or pasta shape of your choice
To garnish
- chopped pistachios
Instructions
Prepare the pistachio pesto
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Meanwhile, add all ingredients for the pesto in the bowl of your food processor (pistachios; garlic; grated cheese; basil and olive oil). Process until smooth.
- Taste and add salt, if needed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
For the pasta
- Add salt to the pot of boiling water and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than suggested on the package, until very al dente.
- While the pasta cooks heat olive oil in a large enough skillet to hold the pasta.
- Add the remaining minced garlic clove and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for a minute on each side. Do not overcook! Transfer to a plate.
- Pour the pistachio pesto into the same pan. Add a ladle or two of starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce. The sauce will have a creamy consistency.
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water, and add to the pan with the pesto. Stir to combine the pasta with the pesto. If needed add extra water and cook, stirring, until the pasta reaches the desired level of doneness.
- Toss the reserved shrimp back into the pan and drizzle a little extra olive oil over the dish.
- Serve immediately topped with chopped pistachios to garnish.
Notes
-For a dairy free version of this recipe, omit the grated Pecorino Romano cheese from the pistachio pesto.
-For a vegetarian version, omit the shrimp and simply serve the pasta with pistachio pesto. Or try adding sautéed or grilled vegetables instead!
-Try adding a few sprigs of parsley along with the basil to your pesto. Which pasta shapes work well in this recipe? -I made this dish with linguine as I enjoyed in Sicily, however just about any pasta shape will do such as spaghetti; bucatini or even shorter pasta such as penne or fusilli. Tips: -Adding pasta cooking water to the pistachio pesto as well as when tossing in the pasta at the end of cooking is crucial for several reasons: it helps thin out the sauce; the starch in the water gives the pesto a creamier texture and helps adhere the sauce to the pasta. Do no skip this step!
-In order to prevent the shrimp from overcooking, remove from the pan before adding the pistachio pesto and pasta. Stir them in at the end, just before serving.
-If you prefer smaller pieces of shrimp distributed in your pasta, cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces. Storage: -This pasta is best eaten immediately, however if you happen to have any leftovers they may be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients and portion size.
I’m definitely going to give this a try, Nadia! I made some pistachio pesto—which I may just like even better than the genovese kind— just the other day. Combining it with shrimp sounds delectable.
I hope you enjoy this simple dish. I may have to agree with you about the pistachio pesto, there’s must something about it!
Well, I did try it out and it was a big hit with the family! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Excellent, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Really delicious! Served room temperature with small Sicilian pasta rings… perfect for a hot summer evening.
Hi Saran, thank you for sharing! I’m thrilled you enjoyed this recipe!