Sunday, August 08, 2010

Magazine Monday #63: Pasta With Shrimp & Cilantro-Lime Pesto

This recipe comes from the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit, my subscription for which has just run out. As mentioned previously, I will not be renewing. Anyway, the recipe came from the RSVP section, where readers request recipes they've tasted at various restaurants around and about, and in this case, the reader who requested the recipe tried the original dish at Tejas Texas Grill & Saloon in Hermantown, Minnesota. It caught my eye because I love cilantro and an entire pesto made from this ingredient was just too good to pass up! I was not disappointed! This was a fantastic dish. I even invested in a mini of tequila!

Pasta With Shrimp & Cilantro-Lime Pesto

1 1/4 cups, packed, fresh cilantro leaves, plus more chopped for garnish
1/4 cup green onions
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno (which I skipped because I don't like them)
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb linguine
1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 tbsp tequila
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (original recipe calls for Cotija cheese, but this is the boonies, man - good luck finding that anywhere around here)

1. Blend 1 1/4 cups cilantro & next 4 ingredients in a food processor until a course puree forms. Gradually add oil as machine runs. Season with salt. (NB: I did not use the full amount of oil.)

2. Cook linguine & drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp & cook until almost opaque in the centre, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat; add tequila. Return skillet to heat and stir until sauce is syrupy, about 30 seconds. Add pesto; stir to coat. Remove from heat.

4. Add sauce to pasta & gently combine. Serve with extra cilantro & sprinkled with feta. Should serve 4.

Awesome, tasty, and easy. I'll definitely be making this again, next time with a margarita, perhaps!

Enjoy!

17 comments:

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

that's a lot of cilantro. But I really love Cilantro... and I am a fan of tequila as well. Saving this recipe...

Future Grown-Up said...

Oh this looks totally delicious. I have never made pesto (I know, sad) but it looks like now is the time to change that. Yum.

tamilyn said...

Funny that a small town like Hermantown would have such a great restaurant-but I have heard of it. I would need to try it without shrimp, just not a seafood lover, dontcha know?

creampuff said...

That looks good ... and if it made you invest in tequila ... it must be REALLY GOOD!

Melissa @ It's The Way She said...

I'm a Southern California Girl...So I love Cilantro. Can't wait to try this out.

Samantha said...

Cilantro pesto? Hm, I'll have to try. Never thought of that one.

Joanna said...

Mmm, I love pesto made with cilantro! Great choice for magazine mondays!

Tina said...

Fantastic...I am ready for lunch now (it's only 11:10 am) and could go for a plate of this.

Chris said...

Cilantro pesto captured the imagination of my taste buds! I'd love to do some grilled shrimp with that.

Ranjani said...

This looks great! I love cilantro and shrimp, so this is perfect for me

crazytigerrabbitman said...

I have been training for an Ironman competition and in the past year or so, I have gotten many healthy recipe ideas from your blog and for that, I thank you kindly. This recipe in particular goods great - can't wait to try. Keep up the great recipe and know that you'll helping fuel one less-than-fat bastard on the other side of the country.

Anonymous said...

Love Cilantro and Shrimp...not to mention the pasta. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Love the shrimp/cilantro combination...and throw in the tequila??? This is a keeper recipe. Thanks for sending it along.

Unknown said...

Love the linguine. Everything tastes a little bit better with lime juice! Thanks or sharing!

Wandering Coyote said...

Thanks for all the comments, everyone! So nice to see so many new faces, and it's great to see old friends back here, too. Hopefully this will motivate me to post more!

Tina said...

Well...you are a busy woman, especially lately with the newspaper job, writing food articles and your cooking job too.

I hope you are habving good weather...still hot here (moaning)

Wandering Coyote said...

Tina: yep, I am ridiculously busy these days...In fact, I think this is the busiest I've been in years. Which is a good thing. I'll take it because I have no idea how long my energy level and ability to do all this stuff will last.

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