Refreshing Lemony Shrimp Pasta for a Light Weekend Meal

Lemon is probably one of my favorite ingredients used in cooking. This versatile fruit can be found in my kitchen almost all the time. I can add some lemon juice or lemon slices in water, use the zest in cooking or baking, the already squeezed wedges can even be stored in the fridge to eliminate unwanted odors. Must Love Lemon. 

Tired of having red meat for meals over the past few days, my oily tummy is crying for lighter food. Lemon can provide that refreshing touch for food. So here it is, this lemony pasta with shrimp and chicken came to a rescue.

Lemony shrimp pasta -

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 portion)?

• 1 pack/250 grams of conchiglie or medium seashells pasta
• 18 small shrimps (deveined and peeled)
• 6 chicken tender
• 1/2 onion
• 1 lemon 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes
• Small pinch of dried thyme

How?

This beautiful bag of conchiglie/shell-shaped pasta was sitting around my pantry for quite some time. The colors came from squid ink, tulip, carrot, and spinach. Such vibrant pasta should work pretty well with this refreshing recipe -

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta till al dente in texture. If you time it well, the pasta should be ready just when the other ingredients are about done and ready to be mixed together.

Peel and dice the onion into smaller cubes. Chop the chicken tender into smaller cubes. Peel and devein the shrimps. 

Drizzle some olive oil to the pan and add in the onion along with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Mix a little and cook till the onion turns translucent, or even a tiny bit browned on the edges.

Add in the chicken pieces and wait till about 80% cooked through, add in the shrimps.

Quickly add the zest and juice of one lemon into the mixture. Also sprinkle a small pinch of dried thyme for extra herbal aroma. The shrimps should be ready quickly. Pour in drained pasta and mix well. Taste and see if more salt is needed. 

You can also substitute the chicken with calamari and make it a full plate of seafood feast. 

Served with Tabasco if a spicier taste is preferred. In fact, the sourish taste from the Tabasco actually works quite well with this lemony pasta.

Perhaps add some freshly chopped flat leaf parsley to add more fresh herbal scent for the conchiglie. Can't be any more refreshing than this.

Other pasta recipe: 

• Make ahead recipe - spaghetti with pesto made with anchovies, green olives, and parsley
• Fusion pasta recipe - creamy and garlicky kimchi pork spaghetti
• Wine pairing - lamb ragu with Punica Barrua 2010
• Spicy chicken and broccoli spaghetti, topped with grated Pecorino Romano and poached egg
• Spaghetti saffron style with prawns, smoked bacon, and asparagus