Every girl has one - that one outfit you know will work. It makes you feel pretty, it’s always in style, and most of all you can depend on it not to let you down in a closet crisis.
The fact is you need the very same thing in your repertoire of recipes. The one dish that’s pretty on the plate, always in style, and will never let you down in a kitchen crisis. I think I have just the thing! You’ll appreciate this if you suffer from my malady of spontaneously asking people to dinner. This seems like a dandy idea until it’s time to have a menu plan, ingredients on hand, and a – well a clean house, which I can’t help you with.
This is your dish – Salmon and Shrimp Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce. Yum. If you are entertaining gluten free people you can even use one of the quinoa or brown rice pastas. Everyone likes pasta. The seafood gives the dish that elegant touch and the lemon sauce is a happy surprise. A delightful aside is that not only is this recipe impossible to mess up, it takes less than 20 minutes to put together from start to finish. If you are a very organized person, I suppose you could even cook your seafood before guests arrive (I am not that person.) Add a loaf of good bread and viola! It’s a party. As far as having ingredients on hand, definitely watch for sales on shrimp and salmon and keep them in the freezer. Spinach and lemons are staples in our kitchen and I guess I have to admit to keeping cream around too. A little splash can add a rich taste to almost anything. This recipe is forgiving, you can use only shrimp or only salmon and it’s still delicious. You don’t absolutely have to have parsley; we’re just lucky to have it in the garden. If you pre-chop your garlic and parsley, and zest your lemon, you can assemble this recipe while guests are watching and pretend like you’re a famous TV chef – that’s how easy this is. It’s also quite simple to make for yourself after a hard day when you deserve something special. I think we’ve all been there. Bottom line – you’ll love having this recipe on hand. Enjoy!
Shrimp and Salmon Pasta in Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
¾ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ lb salmon
Salt, pepper, and paprika
2 Tbsp butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups spinach (2 or 3 big hands full)
1 cup cream
Zest of 1 lemon
16 oz pasta of choice
Directions
Fill a large saucepan with water and begin heating it for the pasta.
Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and paprika and add to skillet.
Cook for a minute or two on each side depending on the size of the shrimp, until pink and done. Remove from skillet.
Melt the second Tbsp of butter in the same skillet.
Season salmon with salt, pepper, and paprika and add to skillet.
Cook for about 3 minutes per side – again depending on the thickness. The skin should slide right off after cooking. Remove from skillet and cut into bite size pieces.
*At this point add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
Reduce heat to medium; add garlic to the same skillet you used for the seafood and cook for 1 minute to soften.
Add spinach and cook for about 2 minutes to wilt.
Add cream and reduce to a simmer. Add lemon zest and let sauce thicken stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup of cooking liquid.
Add pasta and cooking liquid to the skillet.
Add seafood and stir gently to heat and combine.
Top with parsley and serve – you won’t wait long for compliments!
Serves 4
