The fresh tomatoes and sherry add such great flavor to this dish and taste so great with the shrimp.  If you want to avoid the meat, you could forgo the bacon in the recipe, but I love the smoky flavor that it adds along with the crispy panko.   The sauce comes together relatively quickly so get your water boiling for the linguine while you are making the sauce and searing the shrimp.  Pour yourself a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 lb linguine
  • 2 pints cherry or san marzano tomatoes
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sherry
  • 1/2-3/4 cups chicken stock
  • 4 pieces extra thick bacon, diced
  • 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley.finely chopped
  • 1 bunch basil, thinly sliced
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 cup panko
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • grated parmesan for serving (optional)
  • herbs for garnish (optional)

Directions:

 prepare sauce and pasta:

Heat a skillet on medium-low heat and cook bacon until golden.  Drain on paper towel and set aside.  Reduce heat to low setting, and using the same skillet, discard all but 1 tablespoon of rendered bacon fat and add panko.  Toast panko stirring frequently so it is consistently golden (about 3 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, heat  2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter on low and add shallots and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant and translucent, season with salt and pepper.  Turn up heat to medium high and add tomatoes stirring until they begin releasing their juices and blistering (an additional several minutes).  Pour in sherry and stock and bring mixture to a boil, scraping up any brown bits in sauce.  Reduce to low and simmer until tomatoes are softened and tender (3 minutes or so). Adjust seasonings to taste.  Take tomato mixture off heat and keep warm while you prepare the linguine according to package directions (reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid).

Meanwhile, pat shrimp dry with paper towel and season with old bay seasoning on either side.  Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear shrimp for about 3 minutes a side until cooked through.

assemble dish:

Take about 2 cups of reserved tomato-sherry sauce and mix into drained linguine to help it absorb the sauce.  Stir in mixed herbs and most of remaining sauce and some of pasta liquid if you need it to coat the pasta.  Divide the linguine into wide bowls and top with remaining tomatoes and bacon.  Sprinkle pasta with toasted panko and top with shrimp.  Serve parmesan alongside as desired and garnish with herbs.  Enjoy immediately!