Shrimp & Linguine with Piccata Compound Butter

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried linguine
• 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves
• 1 large lemon
• 20 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter
• 3 Tbsp. capers
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Steps

1. Zest and juice a large lemon. Roughly chop capers. Pull apart parsley leaves and roughly chop. Set aside.
2. Combine 1 stick of salted butter and all other ingredients, besides the lemon juice, together in a medium bowl. Mash the mixture with the back of a wooden spoon. Add lemon juice 1 tsp at a time until just incorporated but not wet, about 1 Tbsp total. Then, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
3. Add salt to large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook linguine to al dente package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
4. While the pasta cooks, season shrimp with salt and pepper.
5. Chop 4 cloves of garlic.
6. In a large Dutch oven, melt the 2 Tbsp of salted butter on medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the white wine, red pepper flakes, and several cracks of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until wine is reduced by half, 2-3 minutes.
7. Once the wine is reduced, add the shrimp in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add the cooked linguine to the shrimp. Add the prepared piccata butter in evenly distributed dollops. Then, add ¼ cup of pasta water.
9. Toss vigorously with tongs until creamy and emulsified, adding more pasta water a bit at a time if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Divide between four plates.
11. Garnish with the reserved parsley, freshly cracked pepper, and serve.