This is a fantastic shrimp and fresh basil pesto recipe for a night when you want a light dinner. Add some angel hair pasta or quinoa if you want to bulk it up.
Don't like peeling and deveining shrimp? Buy them already done. Most grocery stores will also sell cooked shrimp which would work for this recipe.
Whole foods will peel and devein shrimp at no additional cost most of the time if you call ahead. Shrimp can also be peeled and deveined after boiling if you don't like to peel and devein raw shrimp.
Raw frozen shrimp that have been defrosted will also work for this shrimp with basil pesto recipe.
Keep the raw shrimp on ice while you peel and devein it. This step is not necessary if working with a small amount of shrimp or if you're fast with your "peel and devein shrimp game".
I like to lightly pulse (instead of full on blend) the basil pesto ingredients in the food processor so it creates a chunkier pesto. Toss the poached shrimp with the chunky basil pesto and top it off with extra pine nuts and fresh Parmesan cheese.
Wanna go an extra step for the basil pesto? Bring a small pan to medium high heat and toast the pine nuts but watch carefully - they are quick to burn.
Don’t have pine nuts for the pesto? No problem – use walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, whatever!
Freeze leftover pesto flat in a ziploc bag and break off and thaw desired amount as needed.
Bonus, it's shrimp season here in Charleston SC and this shrimp came fresh straight off the Geechee Dock in Mt. Pleasant. Support local!
TIP: Keep the shells and combine with water, salt, and your favorite herb or spices to make a killer homemade seafood stock / broth.
Serving Suggestion
This Shrimp with Basil Pesto dish can stand on its own - maybe with some Parmesan crisps? But it also goes really nicely with the cold cucumber soup, or with Gnocchi or a Farro salad.
You May Also Like
If you like Shrimp dishes, check out these recipes:
Things In My Kitchen:
- Zester / Grater - This is for gettin' that Parmesan cheese grated real fine.
- Shrimp peeler & deveiner - There's a lot of fancy & expensive shrimp peelers out there. This inexpensive, plastic one works the best for me. I am lost without it.
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Shrimp w/ Basil Pesto
EatSimpleFood.com
This is a fantastic shrimp & pesto recipe for a night when you want a light dinner, but add some angel hair pasta or quinoa if you want to bulk it up.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner / Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Ingredient List Shrimp:
- 1 ½ lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese - as garnish
- ¼ cup pine nuts - as garnish
Ingredient List Pesto:
- 3 cups packed basil leaves (~ 1.5 oz)
- 2 small cloves garlic (~ 2 tsp)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup e.v. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ~ ½ -¾ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook ~3-5 minutes or until done.
- Make pesto: Add all pesto ingredients to a food processor or blender. Lightly pulse until desired consistency. Add sea salt, lemon juice, or olive oil to taste.
- Toss shrimp and pesto together and garnish with pine nuts and Parmesan. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Don't like peeling and deveining shrimp? Buy them already done.Shrimp can also be peeled and deveined after boiling if you don't like to peel and devein raw.
- Wanna go an extra step? Bring a small pan to medium high heat and toast the pine nuts but watch carefully - they are quick to burn.
- Don’t have pine nuts for the pesto? No problem – use walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, whatever!Freeze leftover pesto flat in a ziploc bag and break off and thaw what you need.
Calle says
This was delicious!! We used tomatoes and basil from our garden and it was so good.
beckie says
Thanks Calle. I love it too!