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Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes and White Wine
In Venice, Italy, cookbook author Marika Contaldo Seguso taught us to make a regional classic, scampi alla busara. Large, sweet, shell-on prawns are bathed in a sauce made with fresh tomatoes and flavored with a splash of white wine, smashed garlic cloves and a sprinkling of pepper flakes. She paired her scampi alla busara with al dente pasta, a terrifically delicious, though not strictly traditional, combination. We adapted Seguso’s recipe using shelled shrimp in place of the prawns; to build flavor into our sauce, we briefly simmer the shrimp tails in the wine reduction, then remove them before the tomatoes are added.
4 to 6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use more than 3 quarts of water to boil the spaghetti. The aim is for the pasta water to be extra-starchy, as some of it is reserved (don’t forget to set aside about 1 cup before draining) and used near the end of cooking to give the sauce some clingability. Also, don’t boil the spaghetti until al dente. Drain it when it’s just shy of al dente, as it will finish cooking directly in the sauce.
45 minutes
Ingredients
-
1
pound spaghetti
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
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01In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and 2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot; set aside.
Reviews
August 6, 2025
Delicious
I made as written and it was very good, then second time I made minor modifications to add more flavor. I crushed the garlic and kept it in and added small shallot, and about a generous tablespoon of tomato paste. I also added shrimp shells and tails to pasta water in cheese cloth for easy removal before cooking pasta. Stirred in a couple of tablespoons of butter and a handful of spinach at end. Served with Parmesan cheese. Excellent!
September 7, 2022
Silky sauce
This looked great as written. Having said that, I tweaked it a tad, using halved cherry tomatoes and a touch of tomato paste, and using shrimp shells to create broth for spaghetti water. Yum!
August 30, 2022
Perfect Summer Garden Option
This one is a keeper! I usually do my shrimp pasta “Bianco,” no tomatoes. But it’s the heart of summer and we had some great “cour de bue” Italian plum tomatoes bursting from our garden. And some great gulf coast shrimp - never frozen - from Osprey Market here in Napa Valley. Tasted like a trip to Venezia! Perfecto! As is. As I said, going into my “keeper recipes” for summer! Awesome Milkstreet.
July 23, 2022
Bright, Light Flavors and Spice
Easy with bright flavor and light spice.
June 28, 2022
Light and fresh
Dish is excellent, except it desperately needs acid. I added the juice of 1/2 a lemon at the end and that brought all the flavors out and married them together perfectly.
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