I’m so excited to share this outrageously delicious shrimp carbonara! This shrimp pasta features perfectly cooked shrimp tossed with spaghetti in a creamy, silky, smooth carbonara sauce made with eggs, freshly grated cheese, and black pepper. It’s a guaranteed hit and so simple to make!
If you are a pasta traditionalist, look away. If you love seafood pasta and don’t mind bending the rules a bit in the vein of delicious dishes, this shrimp carbonara recipe is for you! I’ve shared our authentic pasta carbonara before. It’s simple and has the most delightful silky sauce.
For this recipe, we’re using all the techniques of traditional carbonara and adding shrimp. It’s easier than you might think, which is why this works as a quick weeknight dinner. And, as a bonus, it hits all the marks for a special dinner, like, say, for date night (see more of our date night recipes). We’re obsessed, and after you try it, you will be too.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: For the best results, I prefer large or jumbo shrimp. They are less likely to overcook and dry out. Look for fresh shrimp that is firm and has a slightly sweet smell. If you have frozen shrimp, thaw and drain them before using. I leave the shrimp whole before tossing it with the pasta, but if you’d prefer to have smaller bites of shrimp throughout, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
- Pork: You want a form of cured, fatty pork like guanciale (most traditional), pancetta, or thick-cut bacon (easiest to find). We will render this in a skillet, which adds flavor to our dish, and since you’ll have some rendered fat, it makes our sauce much creamier after mixing it with the eggs and cheese.
- Pasta: My go-to is spaghetti, but bucatini, which looks like spaghetti with a hole down the middle, is also lovely. If you are up for it, shrimp carbonara made with homemade pasta is incredible!
- Room Temperature Eggs: There’s no cream in this recipe. Instead, we combine egg and egg yolk with the rendered pork fat and some starchy pasta water to make the sauce silky and creamy. The eggs heat up but likely don’t hit a temperature that makes them fully cooked (similar to when making homemade tiramisu). We want a creamy, emulsified sauce, not a fully cooked scrambled egg texture. If you are concerned about raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs (they are common at most grocery stores). If you are still worried, add some shrimp to our easy fettuccine alfredo instead, which has no eggs and uses butter and cheese for the sauce. Note: If your eggs are straight from the fridge, you can warm them up quickly by adding them (in their shells) to a bowl of warm water and leaving them for a few minutes.
- Cheese: I use Parmigiano-Reggiano AND Pecorino Romano and love the combination. If you need to choose one, go with Pecorino Romano. It’s saltier and tangier than Parmigiano-Reggiano, which works incredibly well in carbonara. For the best results, use a fine grater to grate the cheese, and skip the pre-grated parmesan, as it doesn’t melt down as well into a silky carbonara sauce. Some regions of Italy would never think to combine shrimp and cheese, but as I said above, this recipe bends the rules a bit, and honestly, your taste buds will thank you!
- Salt and Black Pepper: For perfectly seasoned pasta, you want to season your pasta water, which will season the pasta itself, and since we use some of that starchy water to bring our sauce together, it will also season the sauce. Fresh black pepper is pretty standard in carbonara, and for good reason. I like a fine grind for the pepper, use a lot of it, and love it!
How to Make Shrimp Carbonara
Like our other shrimp pasta recipes, this one goes fast (see our soba noodles with shrimp or this shrimp and clam pasta for more ideas)! The recipe starts with cooking your spaghetti, then when the water boils and the pasta cooks, your sauce and shrimp are ready.
While the pasta cooks, add the pork to a skillet with halved garlic cloves, olive oil and black pepper, then cook over medium-low heat. The pork should be sizzling gently, not browning too quickly. Cook until the fat renders and the pork is still slightly chewy in the center (not crunchy/crispy). Then, toss in your shrimp. I like spreading them out in one layer, letting them cook for about one minute, and then flip them and cook another 30 to 60 seconds until they are tender and ever-so-slightly undercooked. Transfer the shrimp to a plate, and then move on to finishing the carbonara sauce.
When the pasta is ready, use tongs to toss it into the skillet with the rendered pork and its fat. Toss well for 2 minutes. The heat should stay low, and you’ll be tossing the pasta the whole time, giving the spaghetti a chance to absorb the flavors from the pork, shrimp juices, and rendered fat. (The shrimp is still on the side on a plate, but since you cooked them in the fat, it imparts a seafood flavor to the skillet).
Now, turn off the heat and let the skillet sit for a minute before pouring in a whisked mixture of egg and cheese. Since the skillet sat for a minute, it won’t be so hot that it scrambles the eggs, but it will be hot enough to gently cook the eggs so they turn into that silky smooth sauce.
During this step, you want to continuously toss the pasta around the skillet since keeping things moving makes sure you create the sauce without scrambling the eggs. You’ll notice it’s a bit thick as you toss, so loosen it with some pasta water (a couple of tablespoons or more as needed).
When you are happy with the sauce, toss in the shrimp and serve immediately so it’s hot, topped with freshly grated cheese and more black pepper. It’s seriously good!
Seriously Good Shrimp Carbonara
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We’re adding shrimp to our family’s favorite carbonara recipe. This shrimp carbonara relies on eggs for the sauce. We want a smooth, emulsified sauce, not scrambled eggs! Because of this, we don’t make the sauce over direct heat. Instead, we make the sauce in our skillet off the heat. The pan is still quite hot, but not so much it will scramble the eggs. For best results, start with room temperature eggs. If your eggs are cold from the fridge, place them (in their shells) in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before you begin.
We call for Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano for this recipe. The combination of both cheeses really makes this simple shrimp pasta delicious. If you need to choose just one, go with Pecorino Romano, which has more of a salty, sharp flavor that’s incredible in carbonara (you would use 2 ounces).
You Will Need
12 ounces (340g) spaghetti or bucatini pasta
1 pound (450g) large or extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 large eggs at room temperature
2 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 ounce (28g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1/2 packed cup
1 ounce (28g) finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1/2 packed cup, plus more for serving
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces (113g) thick-cut bacon, pancetta, or guanciale, 1/4-inch thick pieces or cubes
2 garlic cloves, gently smashed
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more to taste, I prefer 3/4 teaspoon
Salt for cooking the pasta
Directions
1Season shrimp: Pat the shrimp dry, then season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper.
2Cook pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender, with a nice chew). I add 1 tablespoon of salt to the pasta water. If you’re using fresh pasta, wait to add it to the water until just before the bacon is almost finished rendering, as it cooks much more quickly.
3Prepare egg mixture: In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk 2 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1 ounce finely grated Pecorino Romano. Set aside.
4Render pork: Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon (or pancetta or guanciale), garlic cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the bacon begins to crisp but still has a slight chew, 5 to 6 minutes.
5Cook shrimp: Add the shrimp, in one layer, to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, flip, and cook until tender and slightly undercooked, about 1 minute. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Discard the garlic. Turn off the heat, and set the skillet aside until the pasta is ready. Just before the pasta is done, reheat the bacon and rendered fat in the skillet over low heat.
6Add pasta to skillet: Do not drain the pasta water. Instead, use tongs to transfer the pasta to the skillet with bacon over low heat. Toss the pasta around the skillet for 2 minutes.
7Create the sauce: Turn off the heat and wait one minute. Now, it’s all about keeping things moving from here. Add the egg and cheese mixture, and immediately begin tossing everything together. Add a splash of pasta water (2 to 3 tablespoons), or more as needed, to thin the sauce until a silky sauce forms. Stopping or a pan that’s too hot will cause the eggs to scramble. Keeping everything moving around will make the sauce turn silky. It takes a minute or two.
8Taste and season with salt and additional pepper as needed. Toss in the shrimp. Divide between dishes and dust with more cheese and black pepper on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Room temperature eggs: For best results, start with room temperature eggs. If your eggs are cold from the fridge, place them (in their shells) in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before you begin.
- Seasoning your pasta water: I use 1 tablespoon of salt. If you’re unsure, taste the water—it should taste pleasantly salty, like seawater.
- Grating the cheese: I use a fine microplane grater to grate the cheese for this recipe. The super fine cheese melts into the sauce so nicely. Since it’s so fluffy, it fills a measuring cup quickly, so to measure it, I lightly push the cheese into the cup to pack it down a bit.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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