Rigatoni with Baja Shrimp & Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

A rich, creamy pasta dish bursting with flavor from sun-dried tomatoes and luscious wild-caught Baja shrimp. Hands down, one of our favorite comfort foods. Serves 4. Recipe courtesy of Ken “Man with the Pan” Gardon for Catalina Offshore Products.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces rigatoni
• 1 pound medium to large-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 8-oz jar sun dried tomatoes
• 1 cup half & half
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Prepare:

1. Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir to coat. Add rosemary, oregano, basil, ½ teaspoon of the crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat. Meanwhile, begin to cook rigatoni as per package directions.
2. About halfway through rigatoni cooking time, heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat. When heated, add shrimp, cook for 2 minutes per side and remove from pan to a bowl.
3. To the same pan, add the onions, garlic and remaining olive oil. Sauté over medium high heat until onions start to become translucent. Add half & half and milk to pan, reduce heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining crushed red pepper. Stir mixture with a wide spatula, making sure to scrape the all the bits up from the bottom of the pan. Add shrimp back in.
4. Drain cooked rigatoni well. Add butter to shrimp mixture and when combined, add in the cooked rigatoni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
5. Pasta Cooking Hint: Use a larger pan than you think you need, and bring the water to a vigorous rolling boil before adding pasta. Use 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water. This will prevent pasta from being “slimy” or slippery. The “magic number” for rigatoni is 12-14 minutes cooking time for al dente texture.
6. If your sauce is too thick, add scant amounts of milk to thin, taking care to incorporate well.

Products

Baja Shrimp