summer herb linguine with grilled garlic shrimp

sometimes, the simplest preparation yields the freshest and best tasting dish. with summer cranking up many chefs will shy away from fussy, complex dishes drowned in fancy sauces and instead take advantage of the ripe, fresh produce available this season and let those flavors shine through on their own. this method, popular in california-mediterranean cooking, highlights things like fresh herbs and lightly cooked seafood, among other things. and it's certainly easier and simpler on the home cook!

this recipe is adapted from the book easy entertaining. i pretty much follow it to the T, but added a couple other things i had lying in the fridge that needed using. what's great about this style of cooking is that you can pretty much sub anything, so long as it's fresh. so here we go.

i first prepared a pound of linguine according to package directions. i tend to like barilla because it's usually on sale and i like their packaging. haha. anyway, make sure you moderately salt the water to season the linguine properly.

while that was going i thawed and shelled about 1 pound shrimp, 31/40 count. feel free to use larger shrimp if that's what's available and is inexpensive. i then combined it with 2 cloves minced garlic, a couple dashes of red pepper flakes, 1 T olive oil, and salt and pepper.

once mixed, the shrimp went onto a hot grill pan (make sure you use non-stick) for a couple minutes per side or until golden brown. don't overcook. doing so will result in rubbery meat. this should be the finished result. perfectly cooked shrimp should have a bright, spongy-firm texture.

as that cooked, i prepped a bunch of herbs and such to be tossed in with the linguine. 1 T fresh chopped rosemary, 1/4 white onion thinly sliced (red onion would be better but i didn't have one), 2 T chopped italian parsley, 1 T minced mint, and a package of arugula hand torn.

once the pasta is cooked al dente and drained, return it to the warm pot, add 1/4 cup good extra olive oil (yes, use the expensive green-tasting stuff. it's worth it.), season with salt and pepper, then toss with all the herbs.

after the shrimp come off the grill, slice a juicy lemon into sixths and grill directly on the hot pan until browned.

plate a couple tongs of pasta with some grilled shrimp and garnish with a lemon wedge. voila!

looks light and fresh doesn't it? it's also very tasty and all the flavors complement nicely.

when cooking with just warm olive oil as the "sauce," i cannot stress how important it is to have high quality extra virgin olive oil. this stuff is not to be used as a cooking oil, but in dressings, pesto, or simply tossed with pasta. you want something with a great green aroma and taste. last year fran and ali surprised me with a huge 5 liter can of oleificio andreassi "del poggio" extra virgin olive oil.

this stuff is wow. italian import only, very high price point, and just wow. if you can get your hands on this stuff, i highly recommend.

anyway, this recipe yielded 4 more servings. guess what i'm having for lunch and dinner the next few couple of days? and i'm not complaining...

time for sharing! what's your go-to summer dish? leave a comment below...