Shrimp and Linguine with Sauce Vierge – A Minceur Sensation

Shrimp and Linguine with Sauce Vierge – Our garden is still coming in so the kitchen counters are covered in homegrown tomatoes, basil, chives and garlic. Coriander seeds dry on the tops of delicate cilantro twigs. What better way to use all this goodness from the garden than by creating a palate-dazzling Shrimp and Linguine with Sauce Vierge.

Created in the 1970s by the French chef Michel Guérard as part of his cuisine minceur, sauce vierge (virgin sauce) is his lower-calorie take on recipes found among the previous decade’s reigning nouvelle cuisine. More recently, a variation of his sauce vierge appeared in a recipe in Food & Wine magazine’s July 2022 issue. I am sharing it with you because Shrimp and Linguine with Sauce Vierge is bright and delicious and is one of the top pasta sauces that I’ve ever prepared. And it’s so simple to make.

If you’re not a fan of shrimp, this recipe for sauce vierge can be used as a vegetarian/vegan dip with warm, crusty bread at the start of a meal. However you wish to serve it, this is a visually beguiling sauce that sings with flavor, which, as you know, most pasta sauces fail to do. Not sauce vierge. This sauce will enter your cooking repertoire and stay there for many repeat performances.

Ingredients for Sauce Vierge 

• 1 lb. ripe, fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 Tbsp. capers, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, finely crushed
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• ¾ tsp. black pepper, divided
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

The Rest of the Ingredients You Need to Make Shrimp and Linguine with Sauce Vierge

• 12 oz. uncooked linguine Here is an FFA recipe for homemade pasta.
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined large, raw shrimp
• ¾ cup fresh chives, sliced in to ¼ to ½ inch pieces
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Stir together tomatoes, oil, shallot, capers, garlic, coriander, lemon zest and juice, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large heatproof serving bowl until well combined; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Add linguine; cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes. Add shrimp to pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until linguine is al dente and shrimp are just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
3. Drain pasta-shrimp mixture; immediately add to tomato mixture in bowl. Vigorously toss to coat well. Fold in chives and basil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Serve, passing Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.