Spaghetti with Spring Peas and Shrimp Scampi

First, make a quick shrimp stock. Peel the shrimp and place the shells in a heat-safe bowl. Bring 1 quart of store-bought (or homemade) vegetable stock to a boil and pour over the shrimp shells. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the shells to steep for 20 minutes before straining and reserving the shrimp stock (note that this recipe makes more shrimp stock than what the recipe requires; freeze excess for up to a month). Devein the shrimp and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry and reserve.

For the pan sauce, heat a 12” diameter, high sided sauté pan over high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and allow oil to heat slightly. Season shrimp with salt and sear quickly on both sides in the sauté pan. Remove shrimp from the pan, onto a cutting board, and turn heat down to medium-low. Add sliced garlic and chile flake to the pan. Cook, stirring often until the garlic just barely begins to caramelize. Add white wine and reduce liquid by half. Turn the heat back up to medium-high, add 1 cup of the quick shrimp stock, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and reserve while you cook the pasta.

To cook the pasta, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a 6-quart stock pot. Add ¼ cup of Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt to the water and make sure it remains at a constant boil over high heat. Drop the pasta into the salted water and stir to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom. Stir the pot often to ensure the individual noodles are constantly moving and cook evenly. For this dish, we are going to slightly undercook our pasta in the boiling water, as it will see an additional minute or two of cooking in its pan sauce. At two minutes before the estimated cook time on the box, begin checking for doneness. Once the pasta is slightly undercooked, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water for later use.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the shrimp into large bite-size pieces. Add the cooked pasta to the pan sauce, along with the English peas, snap peas, and reserved pasta water and butter. Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce is at the desired finished sauce consistency. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, mint, and the reserved shrimp. Season with fish sauce, if desired, and the zest and juice of one lemon. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.