Fettuccine Alfredo with Seared Shrimp

Pasta and Sauce

• 12 oz dried fettuccine
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus more to finish
• 1 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated (optional, for a sharper edge)
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to finish
• 1 cup reserved pasta water

1. Pat the shrimp very dry and toss with the salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Let them sit while the water comes up — dry surface is what gives you color instead of steam.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well, but slightly less than usual — roughly 1 tbsp kosher salt per 4 quarts. The cheese brings a lot of salt to the finish.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the shrimp in a single layer, not crowded, and sear undisturbed for 90 seconds. Flip, add the butter, and cook 60 more seconds until just opaque at the center. Squeeze lemon over them, move to a plate, and wipe the skillet.
4. Drop the fettuccine and cook 1 minute shy of the package time. Before draining, reserve at least 1 1/2 cups of pasta water.
5. In the same skillet over medium-low, melt the 5 tbsp butter. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds — you want it fragrant, not browned. Pour in the cream and the black pepper and let it warm through for about 2 minutes without boiling hard.
6. Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the pan and bring it to a bare simmer. Kill the heat. Add the cheese in three handfuls, whisking constantly and letting each batch disappear before the next. Off-heat is the whole trick: direct heat makes Parmesan seize into strings.
7. Add the drained pasta and toss hard with tongs over the lowest possible heat, adding pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand.
8. Plate the pasta, lay the shrimp alongside, and finish with more grated Parmesan and a heavy crack of black pepper.