Shrimp Tarragon Pasta with Wilted Greens

It started as this small thing, just a tiny container from a local nursery. Then, like something out of a 1950s horror film, by August last summer, my French tarragon grew into a green tendril monster on the patio of my Seattle home. On a chilly day in late autumn, I hacked most of it back and dried it to make my own fine herbs, that classic combination that’s a mainstay in French cuisine. The traditional ingredients include parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil, all of which I grow all on my patio garden most summers. Generally, herbs don’t overwinter well in Seattle. They spring up, make a show over summer, tolerate my regular hacking and then retreat until I let them drift into stiff vines or get around to drying them.

To my surprise, however, the tarragon resurrected with exceptional vigor this spring. When I first investigated my patio this past March, it greeted me like a baby unexpectedly up and standing in a morning crib, all happy and ready for the day. It reminded me that too often, we underestimate people or things, or even plants.

I had an embarrassment of riches of frozen shrimp, so my mind went to shrimp tarragon pasta. I stumbled across this recipe while researching tarragon, originally published in Bon Appetit in 2005. I made some changes to it, notably tossing the greens with a bit of pasta to round it out as a full meal. I first made it for my mother visiting from Florida. “It tastes like spring in France,” she said. I agree.

Shrimp with Tarragon and Pasta on Wilted Greens

Kathleen Flinn

You can use frozen shrimp, but be sure to thaw according to package directions first and then pat down to sop up any leftover water. If you can't find shallots, you can use sweet onion or leek instead. If you don't have fresh tarragon, you can use 2 teaspoons dried but I recommend adding in a bit of chopped fresh parsley if you've got it to keep up the fresh flavor.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 27 mins

Course Seafood

Cuisine French

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 6 ounces linguine cooked and drained
• 3/4 pound of large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• ½ cup finely chopped shallots (about two large)
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream or half & half
• 10 oz. baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

 

• Add water to a large stockpot and bring it to a boil. Once at the boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and add the pasta, cooking it according to package directions while you complete the rest of the dish.
• Toss shrimp, parsley, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, half the chopped tarragon, and half the minced ginger in medium bowl. Generously season the mixture with sea salt and ground pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about four minutes. Add the white wine and reduce briefly, about two minutes. Add shrimp mixture; sauté until shrimp are almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add butter and cream; bring just to simmer. Add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Set shrimp aside in another bowl, scraping out most of the pan’s contents.
• Put the pan back on the heat and heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until just wilted, about 25 seconds. Add the cooked spaghetti and the vegetable stock and stir through to integrate the leaves into the pasta. Mound spinach pasta mixture in center of plates top with shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 2 teaspoons tarragon; serve.

This was originally published in 2015; it has been updated. It may contain affiliate links.