Spicy seafood followers are sure to like this vibrant Italian pasta with nduja sauce and shrimp. Made with spicy Calabrian nduja sausage, purple onions, canned cherry tomatoes, recent parsley and enormous shrimp (prawns), it is a tremendous straightforward pasta dish. Excellent for weeknights or date nights! Prepared in simply half-hour.

What’s nduja?
Nduja is a gentle, spicy spreadable salami from Calabria. It’s normally made with pork meat, typically from the throat, underbelly, head and shoulder, a little bit of fats, salt and a variety of peperoncino (Italian purple chili peppers). Though comparatively unknown outdoors of Italy a number of years in the past, nduja has turn into a wanted ingredient with cooks and residential cooks alike.
It is best to have the ability to discover it in Italian speciality meals shops or on-line. Within the US, nduja is bought in Tesco, Dealer Joes and Wholefoods. When you’re within the UK, they’ve it in Tesco or Waitrose. When you can’t discover nduja, you possibly can use purple pepper flakes or a chili paste on this recipe as a substitute.

Alternatively, use one other spicy sausage reminiscent of Spanish sobrassada which can also be spreadable or chorizo. The latter will should be chopped after which processed to make a paste because it’s a lot more durable than nduja.
You possibly can learn extra in regards to the historical past of nduja and the way it’s made in my basic pasta with nduja recipe put up.

What’s fileja pasta?
I made this pasta with nduja sauce and shrimp utilizing a standard pasta form from Calabria known as fileja. Fileja is ‘the’ pasta served with nduja sauce in Calabria. It is a flour and water pasta form, initially do-it-yourself utilizing a metallic rod (ferro). Fileja is a chunky and thick mid-size pasta. It’s shorter than spaghetti however longer than rigatoni.
For this recipe I used dried fileja my son introduced me again from Tropea in Calabria. Nonetheless, nduja sauce pairs nicely with brief pasta reminiscent of paccheri, penne or fusilli. However, you should utilize spaghetti in case you desire. Orecchiette can also be in style with nduja in Southern Italy.

Different elements.
Aside from the pasta and Nduja, this recipe has only a few different elements.
Shrimp or prawns: for greatest outcomes use giant shrimp, additionally known as prawns in UK, Australia and New Zealand. You should use recent or frozen crustaceans. Each will should be cleaned, peeled and deveined if not already achieved. Nonetheless, I like to go away some unpeeled, simply heads eliminated, as a result of it makes the dish look additional particular.
Onions: I used purple Calabrian onions for my pasta with nduja and shrimp. Calabria is legendary for its purple Tropea onions. These are gentle candy onions and the normal alternative for nduja sauce. In fact, you should utilize different varieties of candy purple onions as a substitute. You can even change the onion with garlic cloves in case you desire.
Recent parsley: Flat leaf Italian parsley is the one kind of parsley I can discover right here in Italy. It has a extra sturdy and herby taste than curly parsley, which is used extra as a garnish. However, in case you solely have curly parsley, use that as a substitute. I don’t suggest dried parsley. As a substitute for parsley, recent basil could be a good selection.

Tomatoes: This recipe requires canned peeled tomatoes. I used peeled cherry tomatoes. I like them for his or her sweeter taste and the truth that they maintain their form when cooked. In fact, different canned peeled tomatoes work nicely too or use passata and recent cherry tomatoes.
Step by Step directions and suggestions.
Put together the elements. Peel and finely chop the onion, wash and chop the parsley, reduce chunks from the nduja in case you have a complete sausage.
How a lot nduja you employ is determined by how spicy you need the dish to be. The spiciness can fluctuate from model to model so style just a little first to see how a lot you’d like so as to add to the sauce. I used about 80-100 grams (2.8-3.5 ozs).
Put together the shrimp by washing them, eradicating the heads, peeling most of them and deveining (eradicating the skinny black vein alongside the shrimp’s again). I like to go away some shrimp tails unpeeled for taste and aesthetics.

Make the nduja and shrimp sauce.
1) Sauté the onion in heated olive oil over a medium warmth in a big frying pan or skillet till it begins to melt. Add the shrimp and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

2) Add the chunks of nduja and blend all the pieces along with a picket spoon till the nduja melts.

3) Add the canned tomatoes and simmer collectively over a low warmth for simply 5-10 minutes.

4) Lastly, add the recent parsley and season with salt and black pepper as required.

End the dish.
5) Prepare dinner the pasta al dente in boiling salted water over a medium-high warmth. When it’s prepared save a cup of the pasta water and drain. Add the pasta to the nduja and shrimp tomato sauce.

6) Combine all the pieces collectively nicely. If the sauce appears thick, pour in just a little of the pasta cooking water.

Serve instantly with extra recent parsley.

What to do with leftovers.
Leftover pasta with nduja sauce and shrimp might be saved within the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days. You possibly can reheat leftovers within the microwave or bake them with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on high.
Italians don’t use cheese with seafood. In reality, in Southern Italy breadcrumbs are a standard substitute for grated cheese.
Let me know what you suppose.
In relation to shrimp (prawn) pasta recipes, this one with nduja sauce is certainly one of my favorites. Not solely is it straightforward to make however it is so flavorful. I am positive in case you strive it, you will turn into a fan too.
When you make this nduja pasta with shrimp recipe, I’d love to listen to the way it seems and in case you favored it. Please depart a remark right here on the weblog or on The Pasta Mission Fb web page.
Wanting ahead to listening to from you!
Buon appetito!
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Different seafood pasta recipes to strive.
These recipes can all be spiced up with some Italian purple chili flakes.
Extra Seafood & Lake Fish Pasta Recipes
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