My favorite recipes tend to be dishes I can quickly make on weeknights but still feel special enough for date night. In other words, they’re versatile, impressive, and not too complicated.
Considering that he owns and serves as the executive chef of Amalfi, a popular Italian seafood spot in Las Vegas, and co-hosted the food-focused travel show Bobby and Giada in Italy with Giada De Laurentiis, it’s far from surprising that Bobby Flay has many great pasta recipes up his sleeve. But there’s one he shared on social media earlier this year that really nails the balance between being simple and luxurious.
According to Flay, this creation is so beloved among his family and friends that it’s “the most requested pasta in [his] house.” That’s especially serious praise considering he’s probably served this to his girlfriend and Top Chef season 14 winner, Brooke Williamson. If you want to dine like these two culinary stars at home, the Food Network star and celebrated chef shared exactly how to make the dish yourself.
Flay’s famous pasta features two slightly more expensive ingredients — shrimp and saffron — but it’s worth paying a little extra at the grocery store for the depth of flavor they both bring, and they’re a large part of what makes the recipe taste special.
Besides the saffron and shrimp, you’ll need a few other ingredients, many of which you likely have on hand: garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, pasta, tomato passata, tomato paste, basil, parsley, and shrimp stock. You don’t need to buy shrimp stock. As Flay points out, if you buy shell-on shrimp, you can “make your own stock — it’s free.” Simply simmer the shells for about 20 minutes, strain the liquid, and freeze it for a seafood-flavored boost when needed.
Start by sautéing chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until the aromatics turn translucent. Make sure you use a large pan — the pasta will be tossed in this later — and on a separate burner, you should have a pot of heavily salted water coming to a boil to cook your pasta.
Add the tomato passata, shrimp stock, and a pinch of saffron to the pan. Flay notes that when it comes to saffron, “a little bit goes a long way; you don’t need a lot.” Next, squeeze in some tomato paste and stir everything to combine. You’re going to let the tomato and saffron mixture simmer for a few minutes to reduce, which is also a great time to put your pasta into the boiling water.
While the pasta and sauce cook, prepare your fresh parsley and basil by giving them a rough chop — if you only have one of the two herbs, that’s perfectly fine — and then it’s time to sear the shrimp. Sear the shellfish in a separate pan with some olive oil. You’re looking for them to develop a little color on their exterior, but Flay says you shouldn’t cook them all the way through; they’ll finish cooking with the pasta.
After searing the shrimp, set them aside. Take your al dente pasta out of the water and add it directly to the tomato and saffron sauce, along with a splash of pasta water and a few pats of butter. Toss everything until the sauce is glossy and smooth, then add the shrimp and herbs and toss the pasta a few more times just to let the shellfish cook all the way through.
Your shrimp and saffron pasta is ready to serve, but there is one other thing Flay suggests: enjoying it with a bottle of Fiano di Avellino, a white wine from Italy’s Campania region, which he notes has a nice minerality. No matter whether it’s a weeknight after work or a dinner date, a warm bowl of pasta paired with the right wine will definitely hit the spot.
Dining and Cooking