Shrimp and Zucchini Aglio e Olio e Peperoncino

Slice the deveined, salt-scrubbed black tiger shrimp in half horizontally so their texture matches the width of the linguine. Even when sliced thin, black tiger shrimp keep their snappy texture and pair well with the pasta.

Cut the zucchini in half, trim off the bottom, halve it lengthwise, then cut into quarters and remove just a little of the seeds inside. For curved ones, follow the shape with the knife as you cut.

Slice the zucchini fairly thin. Since it will be cooked and pureed afterward, the point is to cut it thin so it cooks quickly; the cutting itself can be rough.

Chop the Italian parsley coarsely, and finely chop the garlic after removing the germ.

Add olive oil to a frying pan and heat it, then add the zucchini once warm. To draw out maximum sweetness, season generously with salt at the start and sauté thoroughly while efficiently cooking off the moisture.

Once the zucchini has softened and turned slightly translucent, add enough water to just cover it, turn the heat to high, and cook for a few minutes until it collapses completely when pressed.

Blend the piping hot zucchini with a blender into a puree. Set it aside, as it will be used for plating at the end.

Add 1.5% salt to 2 L of water and start boiling the linguine, which pairs well with seafood.

In a separate frying pan, add olive oil, the chopped garlic, and chili pepper to taste, and heat over medium until it starts to bubble. Once heated through to the center, lower the heat to very low and shake the pan to even out the temperature while drawing out the aroma for 2 to 3 minutes.

When the garlic has lightly colored, turn off the heat and add the sliced shrimp, Italian parsley, and lemon zest. Hold the pan flat to coat the shrimp in the oil, and let the residual heat cook the shrimp until the pasta is done.

Add the piping hot boiled linguine to the oil base and toss together, letting the residual heat cook the shrimp. Finally, turn on the heat briefly to cook the shrimp through completely.

Once the shrimp are plump and cooked through, plate the pasta and serve with the zucchini puree. First enjoy the simple peperoncino with the shrimp, then eat while mixing in the puree.