Shrimp Alfredo pasta American-style

For while the original fettucine alfredo was created by an Italian - by Alfredo de Lelio in Rome in 1914 - that was a very plain (but still delicious) sauce made with only butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, the "real" Italian parmesan cheese.

There was no shrimp, chicken, seafood or other ingredients in the original recipe. Alfredo pasta gained popularity in the United States and that is where it spawned all sorts of variations.

From what I understand, you will not find many restaurants in Italy that serve Alfredo pasta - except maybe those restaurants that cater more to tourists than to locals.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with Shrimp Alfredo pasta being American. Or, for that matter, with other pasta dishes being Japanese, Carribean (which also has a Shrimp Alfredo pasta), Chinese or any other nationality. That's the wonderful thing about pasta - it can be adapted to almost all cuisines.

The only trouble with it being adapted in America is that the original recipe tends to get adulterated with cheap, mass-produced ingredients, like milk or cream instead of butter.

Americans also tend to use their own mass-produced versions of Parmesan, complete with chemical flavors, colors and other additives, which is not quite like Parmigiano Reggiano.

This shrimp alfredo pasta is based on the original alfredo sauce, using just butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. The only additions are garlic and shrimps - plus some parsley or other herbs for garnish if you like - to give the dish a more luxurious feel.

Shrimp alfredo pasta

• 12 to 18 large shrimps, shelled and de-veined
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• pinch of sea salt
  
  
• 500 grams fresh fettuccine or other thin pasta
• 150 grams unsalted butter
• 150 grams Parmiggiano Reggiano, grated

Method:

1. Season shrimps with salt and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a heavy pan. Add garlic and fry over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add shrimps and cook until they turn pink and are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
4. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
   
   
5. Boil pasta in rapidly boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain, but leaving the pasta slightly wet.
6. In a bowl, mix the butter and Parmiggiano Reggiano until the cheese dissolves and forms a creamy mixture. If using an electric mixer, this takes less than 3 minutes.
7. Toss in the pasta and mix well, together with the shrimps.
8. If you wish, toss in some chopped parsley or other herbs.

Notes and suggestions:

1. This garlic aShrimp Alfredo pasta recipe works well with fettuccine, angel hair pasta or other fine, long pasta. Fresh fettuccine would be great, otherwise cook dried pasta according to instructions.
2. The original Alfredo sauce calls for Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months - but I won't be too fussy about that since Parmigiano Reggiano is generally costly and hard to find anyway, let alone an aged one.
3. Besides shrimps, this recipe works well with fresh scallops.

Click here for another garlic shrimp pasta similar to shrimp alfredo pasta.