Recipes Ingredients Seafood Recipes Shrimp Recipes Cream-Free Shrimp Alfredo In this elegant seafood entrée, starchy pasta water, Parmesan cheese, and an egg yolk replace the usual cream. Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our shrimp alfredo recipe omits the heavy cream in favor of a lighter sauce that coats the noodles without weighing the dish down. To make it, we gently whisk some reserved pasta water with an egg yolk, adding it gradually to keep the mixture from scrambling. Then the starchy egg mixture is whisked into more pasta water, butter, and Parmesan cheese. It’s a similar process to making the lemony Greek soup avgolemono and creates a just-creamy-enough sauce to coat the noodles, shrimp, and peas. Serve it hot from the skillet topped with more grated Parmesan cheese for a seafood entrée that’s rich without being heavy and perfect for enjoying all year round. Pasta Water Is the Secret to Superior Sauce Ingredients for Shrimp Alfredo Recipe Fettuccine: A wide, flat pasta noodle like fettuccine is ideal for grabbing onto the creamy Alfredo sauce. If you can't find it, use linguini, tagliatelle, or spaghetti instead. Shrimp: If your shrimp did not come peeled and deveined, you'll want to take a few minutes to do that before proceeding with the recipe. Use a paring knife or kitchen shears to cut down the back of each shrimp and pull out the dark vein, which is the shrimp's intestinal tract. Peas: Frozen peas are one of the freezer foods we reach for most often. For this recipe, you don't need to thaw them first as they'll be added directly to the pasta water when the fettuccine is nearly done cooking. Egg yolk: An egg yolk adds body and richness to the creamy sauce when emulsified with the starchy pasta water, Parmesan, and butter. Use an egg separator, the egg shells, or your fingers to separate the yolk from the white. We recommend cracking the egg on a flat surface like your counter, rather than the side of a bowl, to help keep the yolk intact. Parmesan cheese: Whenever possible, it's best to buy a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself at home. It'll have a nuttier, fresher flavor and blend better into your recipes. You can store your Parmesan rinds in the freezer and use them to add a subtle cheesy flavor—and umami depth—to soups, broths, and stews. Shrimp cook incredibly quickly and can turn tough and rubbery if left in the pan too long. Remove them as soon as they are pink, opaque, and just starting to curl up. Directions Cook pasta, then add peas; reserve water and drain: Cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente, about 2 minutes less than package instructions. Add peas during last 15 seconds of cooking. Drain, reserving 2 1/2 cups pasta water and covering to keep warm. Cook shrimp: Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown in places and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Make egg-cheese sauce: In a bowl, slowly whisk 3/4 cup pasta water into egg yolk. Bring another 3/4 cup pasta water to a simmer in skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low until water is steaming hot but no longer simmering; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until melted. Whisk in cheese, a little at a time, allowing each addition to dissolve before adding more, until smooth. Slowly whisk in yolk mixture. Toss with pasta and peas: Add pasta and peas; increase heat to medium and cook, tossing a few times, until sauce thickens just enough to evenly coat pasta. Add shrimp and serve: Remove from heat; toss in shrimp and any accumulated juices. (If sauce has thickened too much, add more pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time.) Serve with more cheese and pepper. Storage Leftover shrimp Alfredo can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop in a covered saucepan or in the microwave, stirring frequently, until just heated through. More Shrimp Pasta Recipes to Try: Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Pasta Thai-Curry Shrimp Linguini Penne With Shrimp, Feta, and Spring Vegetables Spaghetti With Shrimp, Kale, and Burst Tomatoes Linguini With Shrimp and White Wine Spaghetti With Shrimp and Olives Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.