Recipe
Chili Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Spaghetti cooked directly in a chili–garlic butter sauce and finished with tender shrimp, lime, and scallions for a glossy, spicy finish.
★5.0(3 reviews)
The story
Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in a separate pot of boiling water is one of the few home kitchen tricks that does two things at once. It eliminates a pot and it makes the sauce better. The starch that would have gone down the drain stays in the pan, and that starch is what gives you a glossy, clingy sauce without needing any dairy.
The technique is called the one-pan method, and it's more forgiving than it sounds. Butter, garlic, and chili crisp bloom in the pan first. Twenty seconds of sizzle. Soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and salt go in next. Then enough water to just barely cover the dry pasta, roughly two cups for eight ounces of spaghetti, though every pasta brand releases starch differently so have more water standing by.
Keep the heat high. The pasta will start to hydrate and soften in the liquid. Turn it every couple of minutes so it doesn't clump. The liquid will reduce and thicken as the pasta cooks, and by the time the noodles are al dente you should have a tight, glossy sauce coating them.
The tip that makes this recipe work: don't add water defensively. Start with two cups and add more by the half cup as needed. Too much water and the sauce is soupy at the end, which means you overcook the pasta trying to reduce it.
Shrimp go in last, at the moment the liquid has halved. They poach in the sauce for just long enough to turn pink and tender, without rubbering out. Finish with lime slices and scallions. One pan, one plate, and a sauce that never would have happened in a separate pot.
Method
Build the Chili Butter
- 01Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 02Add butter, garlic, and chili crisp to the pan.
- 03Cook for 15–20 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
Cook the Pasta in the Pan
- 04Stir in soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and 2 to 4½ cups of water, depending on your pasta. (Note: We are not pre-cooking the pasta, but cooking it in the sauce & water. I recommend starting with 2 cups and adding more water as you go until the noodles are fully cooked and the sauce is nicely reduced to your preferred consistency. Every brand of pasta differs on how much water they eventually need and how much starches they release)
- 05Increase heat to high and add the dry spaghetti to the skillet.
- 06Bring to a simmer and cook, turning noodles as they soften.
Reduce and Gloss
- 07Cook, stirring frequently, as the water reduces and forms a glossy sauce.
- 08Once the liquid has reduced by about half, add the shrimp.
Finish
- 09Add lime slices and toss until the shrimp are just cooked through and the sauce looks loose and shiny.
- 10Finish with sliced scallions and additional chili crisp if desired.
Chef's note
- Fish sauce adds depth without making the dish taste fishy.
- Cooking the spaghetti in the pan with the sauce will release starches, giving the sauce a natural thickness and gloss.
- Adding the shrimp at the end keeps it juicy and prevents it from getting rubbery.
- Keep the sauce slightly loose in the pan as it will tighten fast.
- Lime is essential here; squeeze lightly before eating.
