20 Minute Shrimp with Vermouth Cream Sauce

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Mahatma Gandhi 

Fast, and amazingly delicious.

That’s usually true, except when it comes to dinner, and then speed can be your friend. Not so much in the eating (take your time) but in the preparation. This is one of those recipes that you can have on the table in far less than half an hour.

This recipe combines succulent shrimp with the intense flavour of tomato and vermouth. It's a wonderful combination. Vermouth is a perfect complement to seafood, as if you didn't know…

This is my homemade vermouth.

Vermouth is a fortified wine that has been infused with herbs and/or roots. Wine has been infused with herbs for millennia. The word for vermouth originates from 13th century German. What we consider present day vermouth was first produced around the late 18th century in Italy and France. 

I have made my own, if you’re interested. The recipe is here. It was pretty good.

Vermouth was marketed initially as a medicinal drink in the 19th century. With an alcohol content hovering at 18% one can see why it would make someone feel “better!” It wasn’t until later in the 1800s that it was used in many classic cocktails like the martini.

Wine is used as the base for vermouth. Each manufacturer adds additional alcohol (sometimes in the form of aquavit) and their own special mixtures of herbs, roots, and barks. Yum...

Vermouth is sold in two main types: sweet (red) and dry (white). Vermouth is an excellent substitute for white wine in cooking and is particularly good with seafood, as well as chicken and pork. When the alcohol is cooked away the flavour of the herbs remain.

Simmer and reduce the sauce before adding the shrimp.

Shrimp Linguine with Vermouth Cream Sauce

Let the sauce reduce before adding the shrimp.

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 10 min  |  Serves 4

1 lb shrimp (454 g)

1 lb linguine (454 g)*

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion, cut in half and sliced very thin

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomato halves

1/4 cup vermouth (white)

1/4 cup tomato purée

1-1/2 cups whipping cream (plus extra, see recipe)

Salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan

Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions.

Only add the shrimp shortly before serving.
They only take minutes to cook.

Heat butter in a sauté pan. Cook onion and garlic until beginning to brown. Add the vermouth, tomato purée and cream and let cook until thickened. It should be a little thicker than you think it should be. 

As the sun-dried tomatoes cook in the sauce it will take on a bright creamy orange colour.

Add the shrimp and cook until just through – no more than 5 minutes. They should just be pink. That may be even less than 5 minutes. Any more time and shrimp become tough.

Liquid will come out of the shrimp as they cook. If the sauce is still too thick you can thin it with a little more cream.

Serve the shrimp and sauce on the hot drained pasta with grated parmesan.

* Depending on how many people you are serving, and how many shrimp you like, you may want to adjust this to a lesser amount.

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