Pasta with eggplant and Mazara red shrimp, a super creamy seafood first course that will make you fall in love at first bite! What do you think, shall we add this recipe to our collection of 10 most delicious shrimp recipes? I would say it fits perfectly, but on the other hand it could also be one of the best tasty eggplant recipes, so where shall we place it? Let’s move on — that’s a dilemma we’ll solve later. For now it’s enough to know that this pasta with eggplant and red shrimp is simply delicious and will amaze your guests at the first bite, just like the Pasta with fresh tuna, eggplant and cherry tomatoes and all the other recipes perfect for a seafood menu we’ve made so far! Let’s go to the kitchen: we’ll start by preparing the shrimp bisque — don’t worry, it’s very easy to make and will make your dish exceptional — and then we’ll be ready to make a delicious sauce that will coat the pasta amazingly! As always, before we start cooking, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my other recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
Do you love shrimp? Check these out:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients to make pasta with shrimp and eggplant
- 1 lb shrimp (Mazara red shrimp or whichever you prefer)
- 1 eggplant (large)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- to taste parsley
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine
- as needed water
- to taste salt
- 14 oz pasta
Tools
- Pot
- Bowl
- Blender
- Fine-mesh strainer
Preparation
Let’s start by preparing the shrimp bisque. Rinse the shrimp, drain them and remove the heads and shells. With the help of a toothpick, and if you have the patience, remove the intestinal vein; set the shrimp aside as you’ll use them later, and let’s focus on the bisque.
Sauté 1 clove of garlic in a good drizzle of olive oil, rinse 8-9 cherry tomatoes, halve them and add them to the garlic. Add the shrimp heads and shells.
Pour in the white wine, deglaze over high heat and add salt. Stir and crush the heads and shells to release the juices. Add the parsley and then
Pour in 2 cups of ice water and cook over medium heat with the lid on for 20 minutes, then raise the heat and let it reduce for 5 minutes. The thermal shock from adding the ice water helps extract more juices so the bisque will be tastier.
Blend everything and strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. Set aside.
Peel the eggplants. Cut them into chunks and collect them in a colander,
sprinkle with a little salt and wait for them to release some of their liquid. After about 10 minutes, rinse them well with clean water or under running water to remove excess salt. Squeeze them by hand and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
Sauté one clove of garlic in a generous drizzle of olive oil, add the eggplant cubes and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the eggplants are soft and browned. Put the water on for the pasta and start preparing it.
Add the remaining cherry tomatoes (rinsed and halved), cook for a few minutes, pour in three ladles of bisque, cook another 10 minutes and let reduce.
Add the shrimp and a little parsley, stir and turn off the heat immediately.
Drain the pasta al dente, add it to the sauce and toss over high heat, adding bisque (if you have some) or cooking water as needed. The pasta is ready — plate and serve immediately.
Storage and tips
The pasta with eggplant, red shrimp and cherry tomatoes is best enjoyed immediately, but if you have leftovers store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours and reheat it in a pan over high heat with a little oil before eating. It won’t be as good as freshly made, but it will still be tasty. Likewise, I recommend consuming the sauce as soon as possible.
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