This variation on my favorite arugula and shrimp salad—served over pasta—tastes as good as it looks. If you keep frozen shrimp in the freezer, a practice I always recommend, this is actually a quick pantry meal, perfect for those late winter/early spring days when everyone wants to start eating a bit lighter.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　

Lemon Oil

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　Zest of 1 lemon

　　

Pasta

1 pound linguine

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 shallots, diced

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 pound shrimp, fresh or thawed frozen, peeled and deveined

　　Zest of 1 lemon

　　1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

　　

To Make the Lemon Oil

Step 1

Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

　　

For the Pasta

Step 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon oil into the pasta; the zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.