I have had a craving for pesto & shrimp ever since trying the pesto shrimp at CRAVE and the pesto shrimp pizza at Pizza Luce back in January. (Not to mention the habanero pesto that Jeff made with the pork fusilli). I know you can buy pre-made pesto at specialty stores but I figured I might as well try my own version. It turned out pretty good but since I did not have a food processor, the consistency isn’t as fine.
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1-2 serrano peppers
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 5 medium sized garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lb medium sized raw, de-shelled shrimp
If shrimp are frozen or still have shells, set aside in water to defrost
The original pesto recipe that I followed calls for a food processor to finely chop all the fresh ingredients but since I didn’t have one, I first chopped my basil leaves very fine. To my dismay, the large package of basil leaves was barely a half cup when all chopped up. I would suggest making this when basil is in season so that you can buy a ton of it or grow it in your garden!
Next I toasted a small package of pine nuts until they were golden brown.
In a skillet on medium, I cooked my shrimp after seasoning them with freshly ground sea salt, garlic, and red chili flakes.
I cooked a side of penne pasta to go with this, but I think it would’ve been better with an angel hair pasta or even cheese tortellini. You can make this low-carb by skipping the pasta.
Finally after combining basil, chopped serrano pepper, romano cheese, olive oil, toasted pine nuts and fresh garlic, I had my pesto. (Sorry, my photo turned out terrible)
I topped penne with shrimp and then pesto.
Then tossed!
The flavor was pretty good, it would’ve been better with more basil and if it had been processed and with a different noodle. Glad I added the serrano pepper, I would even add another next time.
Does anyone have any special pesto recipe to share with me? I’d love to improve this one!
Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)
Oh my, that dish looks WONDERFUIL!
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Looks mouthwateringly good, although I’m not a real pesto lover.
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Love the pesto! I never tried it with the peppers, sounds good. Try different olive oils. We have found that the flavor varies greatly with different extra virgin olive oils. Also, I would make a suggestion of using Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, (do NOT use plain Parmesan cheese). Byerly’s and Lunds should have a wedge of it. I know Costco does.
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Rob,
The peppers were a great addition, IMO, especially if you like a little kick!
The original recipe did call for Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano and I tried the Romano because I thought it might be more flavor. I will try a mix of both next time!