Japanese Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients and bring a big pot of water to boil.

Step 2

Meanwhile cut red onion and garlic cloves into thin slices.

Step 3

Cut asparagus diagonally and separate spears and stalks, we will sauté asparagus stalks first as they take longer to cook.

Step 4

Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on shrimp. If your shrimp is not peeled or deveined, you can check my tutorial for instructions.

Step 5

Once the pasta water is boiling, for 4QT (16 cups or 3.8L) add 2 Tbsp salt. As we will cook the pasta a little longer after draining, cook it 1 minute less than the directions on the package.

Step 6

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add shrimp and cook until the bottom side is nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t touch the shrimp until it releases itself from the skillet. Once it has nice char on one side, you can easily flip.

Step 7

When one side of the shrimp is nicely browned, flip and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Once the shrimp are nicely golden brown, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Step 8

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the butter and swirl around.

Step 9

Add the red onion and garlic slices and sauté for 1 minute. If you like spicy pasta, add chili pepper now. Increase the heat to medium and add the stalks of asparagus. Sauté for about 3 minutes, until asparagus stalks become tender.

Step 10

Then add the spears of asparagus and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the asparagus are tender but still nice and crisp.

Step 11

Add the shrimp back into the skillet, add dashi, and increase the heat to medium-high heat.

Step 12

Add gluten-free soy sauce and adjust based on your preference.

Step 13

Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine with the ingredients. If you like, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately. Optionally, you can garnish with chili pepper flake.