Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Shrimp

It's been a while since we posted - sorry guys! We've been really busy with work and getting married (yep, that happened!) and haven't had a lot of time to cook much less post. But we're sorry! We're really sorry.

With that out of the way, we wanted to share a little dish that we've made a few times that's a pretty classic Italian-American creation: Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Shrimp. But this isn't just any old fettuccine alfredo with grilled shrimp. You know how when you go to Olive Garden and order alfredo, it's very smooth and tastes like it came out of a can? This isn't like that. This is a really light, simple, sauce that isn't overwhelming, isn't too creamy, and provides just the right amount of flavor to really get you to want to eat it up as quickly as possible.

Grilling the shrimp separately and then placing them on top to combine while eating allows you to really honor the flavor of the shrimp and bring out it's shrimpiness. In my humble opinion, grilling is immensely superior to sautéing for this dish as it really highlights the flavor and texture.

In any case, don't take my words for it - give it a try and taste for yourself. The nice thing is the dish comes together so quickly and easily you won't need to try too hard to get it right!

Making the Dish
1 lb fresh peeled and deveined shrimp
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese
1/2 lb fettuccine or tagliatelle

Clean and rinse the shrimp, then in a mixing bowl combine the shrimp, olive oil, and 1 tbsp of parsley. Toss to combine and then let the shrimp marinate for about 20 minutes.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and then start to sauté the garlic. When the garlic is slightly golden and fragrant, add in the flour and start to whisk. Let the butter and flour combination toast slightly, and then slowly drizzle in the milk, whisking constantly so that no clumps form. Add in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cheese, and then stir to combine until the cheese has melted. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and remaining parsley if needed. Remove from heat.

Turn up your grill to high heat. What? It's winter? No problem - do it anyway! The shrimp will only need a few minutes to cook through, and you want to make sure you don't over cook them. String them down a bamboo skewer and then place them over high heat. Sear on each side for 2 - 3 minutes until it has cooked through. Then remove from the heat.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions but subtract two minutes so that it's nice and al dente at the end. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve a cup of the pasta water. Toss the fettuccine with the alfredo sauce over high heat and add additional cheese if desired. If the sauce needs to be loosened up at all, add in some pasta water and continue to toss until it is absorbed.

Serve with the shrimp on top, and enjoy!