Sicilian Pistachio Pasta, plus Shrimp

Quick, easy and good Sicilian pistachio pasta made with pistachio pesto and sauteed shrimp. The sauce comes together by the time the pasta is cooked, so it's quick and suited to busy weeknights.

We adore pistachios, no matter if it's a sweet pistachio creampistachio tiramisu or a savoury creamy pistachio pasta.

This recipe uses a combination often found in Sicily pistachio pesto and shrimp. They both work so well together with the nutty and buttery pesto and sweet, juicy shrimp.

Since pistachio pesto is made with Pecorino, we decided to test this both with and without it, and ultimately decided that we both preferred the version without cheese.

You can see the full recipe below, plus some variation ideas and our top tips. Enjoy!

Ingredient notes

• Pistachios – you need to use unsalted pistachios, otherwise the sauce will be way too salty.
• Shrimp – washed and deveined. If you use pre-cooked shrimp, then add them at the end to heat through.
• Spaghetti – you can also use linguine.

Swaps

Add cheese – Some recipes for this dish add either Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano to the pesto. We have tried this with Pecorino (we added around 2 tablespoons, finely grated), and it worked well.

Add lemon – Another option is to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end for freshness. We have tried this with lemon juice, but we preferred the buttery richness of the pesto without it. It depends on what you feel like.

Leave out the shrimp – you can, of course, opt to leave out the shrimp completely, which will still give you a good tasting bowl of pasta. We recommend adding some pecorino to the pesto if you do this.

Recipe tips

Prep to make things easy – although this is a quick recipe, you do need to work fast. You can prep the pesto before adding the pasta to the boiling water to make things easier, cook the shrimp when the pasta is almost done.

Emulsify – use reserved pasta water to create a good and lucious sauce. We recommend adding 1/2 cup (125ml) to the sauce at first but you will likey need more up to 1 cup (240ml).

More Sicilian recipes to try

Pasta

Tomato Pasta with Sardines and Breadcrumbs

Dips & Pestos

Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian Pesto)

Pasta

Pasta Alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)

Antipasti

Sicilian Eggplant Caponata

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 14 oz (400g) Spaghetti or linguine
• ¾ cup (120g) unsalted pistachios
• 2 cups (20g) fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup olive oil (plus more for sauteeing)
• 6 oz (160g) raw shrimp/prawns (see notes if using cooked shrimp)
• ½ to 1 cup (125ml to 240ml) reserved pasta water
• Salt and pepper

For serving

• Chopped pistachios (optional)

Equipment

• Food processor

Method

1. First, wash and prep the shrimp by deveining them if needed.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add your pasta and cook until al dente

3. To make the pesto, put the pistachios, basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and blitz to a paste, add more oil if needed. The paste should be thick with some medium-sized chunks of nuts. Set aside.

4. Heat a large pan on a medium-high heat with around 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until pink and cooked through (only about a minute or so).

5. Add the pistachio pesto with ½ cup (125ml) of reserved pasta water and stir through until dissolved into a sauce. Add more reserved water if needed (another ½ cup or 125ml).

6. Finally, add the cooked spaghetti and stir through to coat in the sauce. Serve with more chopped pistachios for serving if desired.

Kitchen notes

• Timing Although this is a simple dish, you do need to work quickly so everything is done by the time the pasta is done cooking. To make things easier, you can prep the pesto before adding the pasta to the boiling water, which gives you a lot more prep time.
• Pesto the pesto can be kept for up to 3 days in the fridge, although it will likely darken in colour due to oxidation.
• Storage and serving Best served immediately. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and eaten cold or reheated until piping hot throughout.