In celebration: 20% off sitewide for Jo’s birthday! Shop the sale.

Good things go quickly—psst, we're almost out of these spring favorites. Shop spring best sellers.

Find something to celebrate all the women in your life. Shop Mother's Day gifts.

BlogRecipes
Carla Lalli Music's Pesto Rosso with Shrimp

Pesto Rosso with Shrimp

byCarla Lalli Music
Total 30 mins, includes cooling time
Active 30 mins
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
  • 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained
  • 1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste, plus more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • White distilled vinegar, to taste
  • 1 pound jumbo (16/20) peeled, deveined shrimp
  • 1/2 lemon
  • Handful basil, for serving
    Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast the almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
    2. Meanwhile, combine the garlic and anchovy in a mortar and season generously with salt and pepper. Smash with pestle until a paste forms, about 2 minutes. (Alternately, use a mini chopper to puree these ingredients, then scrape into a medium bowl to combine with remaining ingredients.)
    3. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers; transfer to mortar along with the chile paste. When the almonds have cooled, finely chop them and add to the tomato mixture. Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Taste pesto and season to taste with a few dashes of vinegar, more chile paste, plus salt and pepper as desired. You should have about 3/4 cup pesto. At this point, the pesto can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days (the garlic flavor will intensify as time goes on).
    4. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through (pink on the outside and opaque at the thickest part of the tail), turning once, about 4 minutes.
    5. Transfer shrimp to a medium plate. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet and use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape up any brown bits stuck to the skillet. Let liquid reduce by about half, then stir in pesto and cook until pesto is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and squeeze in the lemon juice.
    6. Spoon pesto into a serving dish, reserving a couple of small spoonfuls. Arrange shrimp on top of pesto and then dot remaining pesto over. Top with a few torn basil leaves to serve.

    You May Also Like