Last week, when I wrote about a new friend, Eleonora, who hosts cooking classes and meals in her home in Rome, I got a lot of comments and emails. Not asking me for details about the classes and/or meals . No, everyone just wanted the recipe for that delicious looking plate of pasta.
So, by popular demand, I give you the recipe for the shrimp and pistachio pasta that Eleonora made for me.
Eleonora calls the dish “Spaghetti Dust & Sea” , which refers to the generous dusting of chopped pistachio nuts and the brininess of the shrimp. This is her original recipe, and is as easy as it is delicious. Of course, as always, when a recipe is this minimal much depends on the quality of the ingredients. The freshest shrimp, pistachio nuts from Bronte, in Sicily, and the best spaghetti you can find.
Grazie, Eleonora, for sharing! For the lunch in my case, and your recipe for everyone else.
spaghetti with shrimp + pistachio nuts
Serves 4
400 grams of spaghetti
400 grams of shrimp, peeled
120 grams finely chopped pistachios from Bronte, Sicily, plus a dozen extra, whole
1 clove garlic
1/2 finely chopped shallot
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta.
While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all of the pasta later. Add shallot and garlic and heat gently until it just begins to color. Add the shrimp, and let cook only one minute, and then add half the chopped pistachios. Stir and turn off heat.
When pasta is cooked al dente, drain, and add to the shrimp. Turn on heat, stir and add the rest of the pistachios and a handful of whole pistachios.
Pistachios from Bronte can be hard to find, but are worth it if you can. In the States you can find them through Gustiamo (they are out of stock at the moment, but should be getting them back in shortly)
hi elizabeth, i will be in rome for 2 weeks late this october. where can i purchase bronte nuts while doing my shopping and cooking in trastevere?
Eataly Roma has them (Behind Ostiense Train Station entrance)
There is also a store in Piazza San Cosimato that has them. An old drogheria on the corner.
What a great recipe! Thanks so much.. to you BOTH!
There is just something about a photo of pasta…don’t know what that is but… Thanks for posting the recipe. I did put some of the photos on Pinterest…so wasn’t just hoping for the pasta recipe!
Spaghetti Dust and Sea, what a whimsical and evocative name! I could go for a plate of that right now.
Ciao cara Elizabetta, I have just pinned this on Pinterest and shared it with many family members and friends who have lived in Italy and/or just like pistachios !! Sitting here in very uncomfortable Birmingham,AL and will just have to use California Pistachios but I do keep plenty of cold white wine on hand so I’m not entirely “without”.
hi elizabeth, thank you for your delicious blog!
one question about the pistachios in this recipe – are they raw or roasted and/or salted? Can’t seem to find more info on your link to the Bronte pistachios which are out of stock.
Looking forward to trying out this recipe!
The pistachios were lightly toasted, unsalted. Thanks so much for the kind words about the blog!
I ate something like this two weeks ago in Taormina (near Catania) and it was amazing, so I decided to look up a recipe. The recipe I had was creamy and buttery. The restaurant must have used more of a pistachio butter, or at least pulverized the pistachios in a grinder until about half of them were powdery, and then mixed it in with say half a cup of cream / creme fraiche with a big nugget of butter. The pasta was also different, but that doesn’t really matter. I’m sure both recipes are good.