Honey Butter Garlic Shrimp

This delicious dish is packed with gleaming shrimp and juicy tomatoes which make a glossy sauce for pasta and asparagus. Honey sweetness joined with butter and garlic is balanced with a dash of heat from hot sauce and the rich umami of Worcestershire sauce. Garnished with parsley and a sprinkle of lemon juice, this dish has layers upon layers of flavor.

Sauce:

3 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp hot sauce (your favorite)

1/2 lb pasta (I used ziti rigati)

1 bunch asparagus

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1 Tbsp butter

1/2-lb cherry or grape tomatoes, about 36

3 cloves garlic, minced through a press

palmful fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, minced

1/2 lemon, cut in quarters

Trim about 1-2 inches off the bottom of the asparagus. Cut the top third off of the tips and reserve. 

Cut remaining stalks in half.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.  Cook the pasta until about two minutes before al dente. Add the asparagus stalks (not the tips) to the pasta and cook one minute.  Add the tips and cook for about another minute. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt the sauce ingredients in a skillet.  Add the shrimp and cook over medium heat for one minute.

Stir and cook for another minute, just until the shrimp is cooked pink throughout. Reserve shrimp in a bowl.

Add the remaining butter into the pan and cook the tomatoes about 1-2 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant, and the tomatoes soften and begin to wrinkle. Return the shrimp and sauce to the pan and fold in with the tomatoes.

Plate the pasta mix and top with the shrimp mixture.  Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro leaves. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 2-3.