Spaghetti with Shrimp & Eggplant
Submitted by makkah314
Spaghetti with shrimp and browned eggplant in a fresh tomato-basil sauce. A Sicilian-style pasta with sea and garden in one bowl, finished with parmesan.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
80 minThis pasta is a Sicilian-style marriage of land and sea, marrying sweet shrimp with deeply browned eggplant in a fragrant tomato sauce. The textures play off each other: tender shrimp, meaty eggplant cubes, and slick spaghetti coated in a sauce that ties it all together.
The eggplant treatment is the make-or-break step. Cubed and seared in hot oil until properly browned (not pale and soft), the eggplant develops the deep, almost meaty flavor that lets it stand up to the shrimp without disappearing into the sauce. Underbrowned eggplant tastes spongy and bitter.
A teaspoon of honey is the unconventional addition that balances everything. It rounds off the acidity of canned tomatoes and amplifies the natural sweetness of both shrimp and eggplant. Not enough to taste sweet, just enough to make the sauce taste fully developed.
Adding the shrimp at the very end is essential. They cook in just a minute of high heat, and any longer turns them rubbery. The residual heat of the sauce finishes them while the pasta tosses through.
Chef Tips
- Salt the cubed eggplant for 30 minutes before cooking to draw out bitter water. Pat dry before searing.
- Use medium shrimp (31/40 count). Larger shrimp overpower the noodles; smaller ones disappear.
- Reserve a half cup of pasta cooking water before draining. The starchy water helps loosen the sauce if it tightens too much.
- Add fresh basil at the very end. Heat destroys its volatile oils and turns it black.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Peel and devein the shrimp and set aside.
Trim the ends of the eggplant and peel it.
Cut into ½ inch cubes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic.
Cook, stirring, without browning.
Add the tomatoes, honey, pepper flakes, basil, flat Italian parsley can be substituted, salt and pepper.
Stir to blend, cover and simmer, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet and when it is very hot, add the eggplant, salt and pepper.
Cook the eggplant, tossing, until it’s nicely browned.
Drain and add the eggplant to the tomato sauce.
Stir and cover and cook for 15 minutes or until well blended with the sauce.
Meanwhile, in the same nonstick skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and add the shrimp, salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat for one minute, stirring.
Add the shrimp to the sauce, blend well and cook for one minute.
Keep warm.
Meanwhile, salt the water and bring to a boil in a kettle.
Add the spaghetti and cook to the desired degree of doneness.
Drain the spaghetti and return it to the kettle.
Add the shrimp and eggplant mixture, toss well and serve immediately with cheese.
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