On our first night in Key West, we found a restaurant that was super memorable from our trip. In fact, we even think that it was the best meal we had in Key West {…& we ate pretttty well}.

I know I am overdue for a recap… I’ll have that next week… but to set the scene, Erik & I rented a car from Orlando {Ford Mustang!! It’s Erik’s fave vacay car} and drove the 8 hours down to the Key West.

That may sound long but it was actually great because I basically spent it on my phone creating a mini itinerary for Key West.

We knew we’d be getting in around 9:30p so that limited restaurants since a lot were closing at 10p. It was also Erik’s first time so I wanted to go somewhere fun & special.

I found Nine One Five looking for restaurants that closed later in the evening & I’m SO GLAD. In fact, this place was so good that at every bar and restaurant we went to throughout our trip told us to go there. ***brushes shoulders off for casually finding it***

Anyways, when we got there, Erik suggested we order the Shrimp Fettuccine. If we were being honest, I was a little surprised because it didn’t seem like an Erik dish. I was immediately picturing shrimp & fettuccine alfredo which is not his favourite sauce {trick statement because Erik likes no sauces}.

I read the description and realized it was anything but:

key west pink shrimp + lemon chili oil + baby arugula + capers

I was in. & man oh man, let me tell you, it was PHENOMENAL. I knew instantly I was going to have to try and recreate this at home because it was so good.

{ bae caught bae gramming }

I don’t have their exact recipe so I just kind of tried to piece the parts together if that makes sense. I also appreciated that there was no cheese: I kind of get weirded out when shrimp & cheese gets mixed together… even parm. So I’d go as far to say for a pasta dish, it’s on the lighter side.

First things first, I made a chile oil. I did a larger amount so I can keep some on hand {stored it in a beer bottle with a wine cork lol hey make with what I have on hand}. I am kind of digging the idea of tossing other pastas with it or as a base to a dressing. Any other ideas? You can also use a whole dried chile but my non-bougie self didn’t have any. Would be a fun gift in a bottle too with the whole chiles! *takes notes for the holidays*

Next, I brined the shrimp in a bowl of COLD water with sugar & salt. This will keep them plump & juicy vs dried out & tough… a fun lil trick I learned via Cooks Illustrated.

Speaking of shrimp, I used pink shrimp to keep things ~*extra key west*~

Basically the majority of pink shrimp harvested in the US will come from  around the Dry Tortugas by the Keys. They are more “pink” because they live in the clean coral sands of Florida. They are slightly sweet & though most shrimp turn pink after cooking, these have a pink shell & turn opaque after cooking. You can enjoy them on their own, they make a good ceviche, or peel & eat. I found them at Whole Foods! & as my girl Ina would say, regular shrimp will do.

Anyways, the shrimp will take about 15 minutes to brine. While that’s going, get the water for the pasta boiling since that seems to take a while… or at least it does for me. The next steps go really fast! I used fresh pasta and since that takes no time to cook {3-4 minutes}, I did it right after I started cooking the shrimp.

You can totally used dried pasta, I just used fresh because I was trying my hand at recreating theirs!

Also, it’s super versatile. I didn’t use arugula, instead, I did a variety of greens that I shredded. I also didn’t use any capers since I didn’t have any but they add a nice briny aspect to the dish.

You could easily sub any protein for this or even omit the meat completely! It would be awesome full of veggies & I’m kinda loving the idea of it with fingerling potatoes & asparagus. If I used anything but seafood, I probably would shave some parmesan over it.

It’s super easy & perfect to make for date night!!

Shrimp Fettucine

{ inspired by Nine One Five in Key West }

Serves 2

ingredients

salt

sugar

peeled & deveined shrimp, ~1/2 pound {I used 16/20}

olive oil, 1/4 cup

lemon, 1

chile flakes, 1 tsp

butter, 1 tbsp {can sub w/ olive oil}

fettuccine pasta {i used fresh}, enough for two

greens

capers

salt & pepper, to season

directions

in a large bowl, make a brine of cold water, 2 tbsp of salt & 1 tbsp of sugar. Mix until dissolved & add shrimp. Let sit for 15 minutes. If you have room, bring a large pot of water for the pasta to a boil for time’s sake.

Meanwhile, make the chile lemon oil: in a sauce pan, add olive oil. Zest the lemon over the pot & add chile flakes. Heat oil over med-low for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove shrimp from brine and pat completely dry. In a skillet, add a slab of butter or olive oil over medium until melted but not browned. Add the shrimp & let them cook for 1-2 minutes without moving them. Flip the shrimp & cook for an additional 1-2 minutes & set aside. Keep skillet on medium.

When the water is boiling, cook pasta for the amount of time needed. Drain.

In same skillet as the shrimp, add 1 tbsp of the lemon chile oil over medium heat. Add pasta, greens, capers, & shrimp, salt & pepper, & toss. Let cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Drizzle with a little of the chile oil & squeeze lemon over it.

Serve alongside a lemon wedge!

wine pairing

ok so we are being savages drinking this with red, I know. We had a leftover bottle of a this red we just needed to finish – NOT SILVER OAK LOL WAY TOO HEAVY we just have a ton of their glasses from being members. Also I know I’ll sound savage again but it really wasn’t that bad together. This would go great with a Chardonnay {oaky California or Chablis}, New Zealand Sauv Blanc {having a HUGE MOMENT w those right now}, or anything with bubbles!

This was a winner & even though it wasn’t exactly the same as Nine One Five {HUGE STAKES}, it was close enough in flavour & pretty damn tasty!

If you give it a go, let me know!! Would love to see what you whip up! Tag me on instagram so I can see and give you a shoutout: @ssschuchard

It’s suuuuper easy. We enjoyed ours upstairs for a mini date night on the roof before binging on the new season of Bojack Horseman. Anyone else a fan?

Also! I got a new point and shoot film camera which I’ve been loving. I’m stilla newb at it but I am kind of digging the shots. They aren’t perfect but I kinda like the imperfect vibes, it kinda keeps it real. I got this to limit the time I spend on my phone… ESPECIALLY while traveling. I will be in NY in a few weeks & looking forward to bringing it with.

PS – we finished Bojack in ONE WEEKEND so we need a new show. Anything we need to check out?!

xx SLS