Squid Ink Pasta With Chili Garlic Shrimp

Chef's Overview

Dear Chefs, squid ink pasta tastes gently briny and savory, closer to the sea than to anything dramatic, and it pairs beautifully with sweet seared shrimp and a bright chili garlic butter sauce. The whole dish comes together in about 30 minutes, making it one of the easiest ways to put something genuinely striking on the table on a weeknight or a dinner date. The secrets are thinly sliced garlic cooked gently until pale gold, shrimp seared hard and fast so they stay tender, and starchy pasta water whisked with butter into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand. A handful of crunchy toasted breadcrumbs and plenty of lemon zest bring texture and brightness against that jet-black pasta. It looks like a restaurant special, yet every step is something a home cook can master on the first try.

Black Pasta and the Great Stained Apron

The first time one of us made squid ink pasta at home, it was meant to impress, and it did, eventually. The trouble started when a ladle of the inky cooking water splashed across a brand-new white apron, a white kitchen towel and, somehow, a white sneaker on the far side of the stove. The pasta itself was fantastic. The laundry situation was not, and that apron still carries a faint grey map of the evening.

We learned two things that night. First, wear a dark apron. Second, squid ink pasta sounds intimidating mostly because of how it looks, when in reality it cooks exactly like any other dried pasta and asks for nothing more than a little attention to the garlic and the shrimp. Once you get past the color, it becomes one of those dishes you make whenever you want dinner to feel like an occasion without spending the whole evening in the kitchen.

Ingredients You'll Need

This recipe serves 4. Dried squid ink spaghetti or linguine, sometimes labeled nero di seppia, is sold in Italian markets, specialty grocers and online, and it is the easiest way to get that deep black color at home. Buy large shrimp, around 16 to 20 per pound, so they stay juicy during searing, and choose wild shrimp if you can for the sweetest flavor. Fresno or Calabrian chilies bring fruity heat, but a pinch of extra red pepper flakes works perfectly if fresh chilies are hard to find.

For the Shrimp

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Pasta and Chili Garlic Sauce

• 12 ounces dried squid ink spaghetti or linguine
• Kosher salt, for the pasta water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 1 Fresno or Calabrian chili, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the Crunchy Topping

• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Flaky salt, to finish

Step 1: Devein and Dry the Shrimp

If your shrimp are not already deveined, run a shallow cut along the back of each one and lift out the dark vein with the tip of your blade. A short, precise knife makes this quick work, and the Sable 59 Damascus Petty Knife, with its nimble 125mm AUS-10 blade, glides along the curve of each shrimp without tearing the flesh. Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels and season them with the salt and red pepper flakes, since dry shrimp brown in seconds while wet shrimp just steam. For another fast shrimp dinner with a bolder spice profile, Harissa Shrimp for Nights When Grilling Sounds Right is a favorite.

Step 2: Toast the Crunchy Breadcrumbs

Warm the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the panko and a pinch of salt and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the crumbs are evenly golden and smell nutty. Tip them onto a plate right away so they stop cooking. Wipe out the skillet, since you will use it again for the shrimp and the sauce.

Step 3: Slice the Garlic, Shallot and Chili

Slice the garlic as thinly and evenly as you can, because uniform slices turn pale gold at the same moment instead of half burning while the rest stays raw. Mince the shallot finely and cut the chili into thin rounds, removing the seeds if you prefer gentler heat. A sharp, well-balanced chef knife makes paper-thin garlic easy, and the Ochre 61 Damascus Chef Knife, with its VG-10 blade hardened to 61 HRC and octagonal olivewood handle, holds the fine edge you need for this kind of precise slicing.

Step 4: Boil the Squid Ink Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously, until it tastes pleasantly seasoned. Add the pasta and cook it about 2 minutes short of the package time, usually 8 to 9 minutes for dried spaghetti, since it will finish cooking in the sauce. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta. That pasta water is what turns butter and oil into a silky sauce, a trick that also makes Burrata Pasta with Basil and Roasted Tomatoes so creamy.

Step 5: Sear the Shrimp Hard and Fast

While the pasta cooks, heat the tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the shrimp in a single layer and leave them alone for about 60 seconds, until the undersides turn golden, then flip and cook for another 45 to 60 seconds until they are just opaque. Transfer them to a plate while they are still slightly underdone in the very center, because they will finish cooking when they return to the sauce.

Step 6: Bloom the Chili Garlic Oil

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the quarter cup of olive oil to the same skillet along with the garlic, shallot, sliced chili and red pepper flakes. Cook gently, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic turns pale gold and smells sweet and toasty. Pull the pan off the heat the moment the garlic reaches that color, since it goes from golden to bitter in a matter of seconds.

Step 7: Deglaze With White Wine

Return the skillet to medium heat, pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits left behind by the shrimp. Let it bubble for about 2 minutes, until reduced by roughly half and the sharp smell of alcohol has cooked off. White wine and garlic are a classic base for seafood for good reason, and the same pairing builds the broth in Saffron Braised Clams with Citrus Zest.

Step 8: Toss the Pasta Into a Glossy Sauce

Add the drained pasta to the skillet with half a cup of the reserved pasta water and the cubed butter. Toss constantly with tongs for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the salt, remembering that the breadcrumbs will add a little more.

Step 9: Finish With Shrimp, Lemon and Crunch

Return the shrimp and any juices to the pan, add the lemon zest, the lemon juice and most of the parsley, and toss for 30 seconds to warm everything through. Twirl the pasta into warm shallow bowls, arrange the shrimp on top and scatter over the toasted breadcrumbs, the remaining parsley and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve immediately, since the sauce is at its silkiest in the first few minutes.

Dark Pasta, Bright Finish

Black pasta has a reputation as a fussy restaurant trick, but once you have made it, it is clear that the color is the only dramatic thing about it. The flavor is gentle and savory, the method is simple, and the real stars are the details, the pale gold garlic, the barely cooked shrimp and that glossy emulsion of butter and pasta water. Make it for a Halloween dinner, a date night or any Tuesday that could use a little theater. Just leave the white apron in the drawer.