Creamy Roasted-Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti

Sweet roasted garlic and concentrated shrimp stock in a smooth cream sauce.

Ingredients

Shrimp

• 505 g whole head-on shrimp, thawed
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Concentrated shrimp-head stock

• All cleaned shrimp heads and shells
• 350 mL water
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Do not add salt yet.

Creamy roasted-garlic sauce

• 15–18 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral cooking oil
• 250 mL all-purpose cream
• 150 mL concentrated shrimp stock
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• ¼ tsp dried basil
• ⅛ tsp dried oregano, optional
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt initially
• 2 tbsp butter
• 30–50 g grated Parmesan, if available
• 1 tbsp calamansi or lemon juice

Pasta

• 500 g Panzani Spaghetti No. 5
• 4–5 L water
• 1½ tbsp salt
• Reserve at least 1½ cups pasta water

Optional flavor booster

• ½–1 tsp homemade roasted shrimp powder
• Don't automatically add it. We'll taste the sauce first.

Method

• Clean and peel shrimp; refrigerate the meat. Simmer cleaned heads and shells with 350 mL water, garlic and pepper for 10–12 minutes. Cool slightly, blend briefly and strain finely. Reduce to about 180–200 mL; reserve 150 mL for the sauce.
• Slowly brown 15–18 garlic cloves in 2 tbsp oil for 7–10 minutes, until soft and golden. Blend garlic and oil with cream, measured stock, herbs, pepper and salt.
• Cook spaghetti 1 minute short of al dente; save at least 1½ cups pasta water. Season and quickly sear shrimp in oil and butter, then remove to finish later.
• Gently simmer the blended sauce in the same pan with 120 mL pasta water for 2–3 minutes. Add butter and taste before adding any optional shrimp powder.
• Toss in the spaghetti for 1–2 minutes, adding pasta water as needed. Add optional Parmesan. Return shrimp and juices until fully cooked, then finish with lemon or calamansi off the heat. Taste an actual forkful before adjusting.

Before you cook

Read the ingredient labels for allergens, especially seafood, soy, wheat, dairy and eggs. Prepared sauces and seasoning powders vary in saltiness, so taste before adding more. Cooking times are guides; check doneness in the actual batch.

Cook poultry and reheated leftovers to 74°C, ground meat to 71°C, and fish to 63°C. FoodSafety.gov cooking guidance ↗