Seared Shrimp Over Thin Spaghetti With a Mushroom and Garlic Cream Sauce

Instructions

For the pasta

1. Add the table salt to a large pot of water and set it to boil over high heat.
2. Boil the thin spaghetti in the pot of salted water; cook it until it's al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve 1/4-cup pasta water. Drain the thin spaghetti and set it aside while you finish the sauce.

For the shrimp

1. Heat the olive oil in a deep 12" skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
2. Pat the shrimp dry and use half the sea salt and pepper to season one side of the shrimp.
3. Place the shrimp, seasoned side down, into the hot skillet. Season the other side with the remaining sea salt and pepper. Cook them for 3 minutes.
4. Flip the shrimp and continue cooking them for 2 more minutes. Remove the shrimp from the skillet, and set them aside.

For the sauce

1. Add the butter to the same skillet the shrimp were cooked in and reduce the heat to medium.
2. Add the mushrooms once the butter is melted and foamy, then sauté them until they start to get brown around the edges and soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Sprinkle the flour on top of the mushrooms. Use a wooden spoon to stir them for 1 minute. The mixture should look thick and kind of clumpy — this is normal.
4. Pour the milk into the skillet all at once and bring the sauce to a boil until it's thick and bubbly, continuing to stir every minute or so, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan.

To finish the dish

1. Add the thin spaghetti to the skillet, along with 1/4 cup of pasta water, and use tongs to toss the pasta until it's well coated with the sauce.
2. Add the shrimp back into the skillet and continue tossing the pasta for another minute.