My Old Bay Shrimp with Capellini is loaded with burst cherry tomatoes, capers, shallots, and garlic. The Old Bay seasoned shrimp is packed with flavor, making this pasta one of my family’s favorites. A must for busy summer nights when you want something easy and delicious.

Old Bay shrimp with capellini in white platter with blue napkins and serving spoons.

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Vacation-Inspired Pasta

Last summer while vacationing in the Outer Banks, NC, I grabbed some shrimp from the local seafood shop and made a dish with cherry tomatoes, capers, butter, and lots of Old Bay seasoning. We all devoured it with some crusty bread and couldn’t get enough! That vacation meal inspired this Old Bay Shrimp and Capellini recipe and it truly is one my family asks me to make on repeat.

Old Bay plus shrimp is an iconic Mid-Atlantic combination, and tossing tomatoes and butter into the mix just makes sense. Adding it all to pasta was a no-brainer!

While this pasta can be served on its own, it’s great with some crusty bread and some garlicky greens, such as sautéed broccoli rabe.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

Ingredients shown: shallots, garlic, capellini pasta, parsley, wine, butter, lobster stock, worcestershire sauce, capers, baking soda, Old Bay seasoning, cherry tomatoes, and shrimp.
  • Shrimp. I used medium-sized shrimp, 31-40 count. This size is great because it ensures you get a bite of shrimp with almost every bit of pasta. Feel free to use larger or smaller shrimp, but note that cook time will vary if doing so. My go-to shrimp lately have been Argentine red shrimp or pink gulf shrimp, but use what is available to you.
  • Old Bay seasoning. This seasoning blend hails from the Chesapeake Bay area, Baltimore to be exact, and is a combination of celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and paprika. It’s often used for crab and shrimp boils. It’s used in both the shrimp brine and the sauce.
  • Pasta. Capellini is a very thin pasta that’s a touch thicker than angel hair. I love capellini and angel hair with seafood, but this dish would work well with other long pastas, such as linguine fini, linguine, or spaghetti.
  • Stock. If you have homemade shrimp or seafood stock, that will yield superior results, but you can also use store-bought seafood stock, stock made from Lobster base, or chicken stock.
  • Wine. Use a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc. If you cannot have alcohol, it can be omitted.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

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How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

  1. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp with the baking soda and Old Bay seasoning and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes prior to sauteing.
Old Bay shrimp with capellini recipe process shot collage group one showing seasoning the shrimp and searing them in a large pan.
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat a large pan to medium heat with the extra virgin olive oil and add the shrimp. Saute the shrimp for 2 minutes or until just cooked, then transfer to a plate covered with tented foil to stay warm.
  2. To the same pan, add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 more minutes.
Recipe collage two showing sauteing of shallots and garlic and adding the halved cherry tomatoes.
  1. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the tomatoes along with a sprinkle of salt and saute for 5 minutes or until they begin to burst.
  2. Add the white wine and bring the sauce to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits. Reduce the sauce by half then add the stock, Old Bay seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce.
Recipe collage three showing bringing the sauce to a simmer and adding the seared shrimp back to the sauce.
  1. Add the capellini to the water and begin to cook to al dente. Add 1 cup of pasta water to the sauce, then lower the heat and add the shrimp back to the pan to warm through.
  2. Once heated through, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, one cube at a time. Add the parsley and capers and mix well. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Recipe collage four showing whisking in the cold butter and pouring shrimp sauce over the pasta in a large platter.
  1. Place the capellini onto a large platter and pour the shrimp and sauce over the top. If the pasta is too dry, add a touch of reserved pasta water. Serve and enjoy!

Top tips

  • Brine the shrimp. The baking soda brine helps keep the shrimp plump. The brine does not get rinsed off before cooking. If you’re short on time, you can skip the brining process, though it is recommended for best results.
  • Working with thin pasta. For 99% of my pasta recipes, I add the pasta to the pan and allow it to cook in the sauce for a minute or two. With thinner pasta like capellini or angel hair, I don’t recommend doing that. Thin pasta cooks so quickly and can turn to mush if it’s the slightest bit overcooked. For this reason, I pour the Old Bay shrimp sauce on top of the al dente pasta once it’s on a platter.
  • Save your pasta water! As with most of my pasta recipes, I recommend saving the water as it comes in so handy to reconstitute the pasta if it dries out at all. The thin angel hair/capellini will soak up the sauce fairly quickly so you might need a touch more pasta water.

More easy seafood pasta recipes

If you loved this Old Bay shrimp pasta, give these other favorites a try!

If you’ve enjoyed this Old Bay Shrimp Pasta recipe, give it a 5-star rating.

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Old Bay Shrimp Pasta

4.20 from 5 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Pasta with Old Bay Shrimp, burst cherry tomatoes, capers, shallots, and garlic is packed with flavor and incredibly easy to make! Perfect for summer nights!

Ingredients 

For the shrimp brine

  • 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp 31-40 count, cleaned and deveined
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

For the pasta

  • 1 pound capellini
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large shallots sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic sliced
  • 24 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup low-sodium seafood stock see notes below
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups pasta water will most likely not need it all
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter cubed
  • 3 tablespoons capers rinsed
  • 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley

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Instructions 

Brine the shrimp

  • Place cleaned and dry shrimp in a bowl with the baking soda and Old Bay seasoning.  Mix well. Let the shrimp sit for 10-15 minutes before sauteing.

For the pasta

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
  • Heat a large pan to medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and saute the shrimp for about 2 minutes or until just cooked.  Remove the shrimp and set aside tented with foil to keep warm.  To the same pan add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes then add the garlic and continue to cook until lightly golden (about 2 more minutes).
  • Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with a touch of salt and saute for ~5 minutes or until they begin to burst.
  • Add the wine and bring the sauce to a boil while scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits. Reduce by half then add the stock, Old Bay seasoning, and worcestershire sauce.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
  • Add 1 cup of pasta water to the sauce then lower the heat and add the shrimp back to the pan to heat through. Once heated through, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, one cube at a time. Add the parsley and capers and mix well. Taste test and season with salt and pepper as required.
  • Place the capellini onto a large platter and pour the shrimp and sauce all over the top.
  • If the pasta becomes too dry add more of the reserved pasta water.  Enjoy!

Notes

  • Baking soda. The baking soda makes the shrimp plumper and have a better texture.  At the levels used it will impart no taste.  You can omit the baking soda if you like.
  • Pasta water. Always reserve extra pasta water just in case the pasta dries out while sitting and or waiting to serve.
  • Seafood stock.  Sub in shrimp stock, Better than Bouillon lobster stock or even chicken or vegetable stock.
  • Leftovers.  Old Bay shrimp with Capellini can be saved for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave though this shrimp dish is best eaten right away.

Nutrition

Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 95.1g | Protein: 47.8g | Fat: 17.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Cholesterol: 299mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 4.5g | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.20 from 5 votes

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20 Comments

  1. Larry Blake says:

    5 stars

    This was nice and summery. My wife is from Maryland, and the Old Bay Seasoning reminded her of home, so that was another plus.

    I love your tip about the Baking Soda.

    1. Tara says:

      We’re so glad you enjoyed, Larry!

  2. Martha C says:

    I halved the recipe for the two of us and we still had leftovers! This dish was delicious and I will definitely make it again. I was generous with the Old Bay because we’re from Baltimore and it’s practically a staple there. We like our sauces a little thicker or more concentrated so we used very little of the pasta water and there was still plenty of sauce. I added some thin fresh asparagus for a veggie boost when I added back the shrimp. I also used whole wheat thin spaghetti because I’m not supposed to have white pasta and my husband, who is not a fan of whole wheat pasta, didn’t notice the switch! Better than Bouillon lobster stock was not available so we used Kitchen Basics Seafood Stock and the dish had plenty of taste, especially from the Old Bay. I may order the lobster stock online in the future just to have on hand since it’s kept in the fridge. I also just dumped the pasta and sauce together for easy serving for the 2 of and the dish was fine because my pasta was a little thicker than the angel hair called for.
    Love your recipes, Jim, your New York style deli salad recipes are a huge hit with us, especially the Cole slaw!

    1. Tara says:

      We’re so happy you enjoyed, Martha, and getting the approval from a native Marylander makes us so happy!

  3. Cheryl says:

    5 stars

    Absolutely DELICIOUS!!
    The tender shrimp, shallot, garlic and tomato, couple perfectly with the white wine and seafood stock. The butter adds a creamy finish to the sauce, but the capers….right over the top it goes!
    Fairly easy to prepare and oh so worth it!
    I’ll be putting this one on repeat and telling everyone who’ll listen about this one.

    1. Tara says:

      So glad you enjoyed it, Cheryl!

  4. Sharon Champney says:

    You do not pour the sauce over the macaroni. You must mix it together in the pan.

    1. Tara says:

      Hi Sharon, we explain why we don’t mix it in the pan within the post under Top Tips, so do give it a read. For every other pasta dish we always combine it in the pan.

  5. Patrice says:

    Can you use cooked shrimp in this recipe?

    1. Tara says:

      You can, though since it’s already cooked you wouldn’t need to brine or cook it. You could just add it at the end to warm through.

  6. Richard Terranova says:

    1 star

    I grew up in Jersey this is way too salty tasted like I licked a salt lick while hunting for deer ship the old bay in sauce or just a pinch

    1. Tara says:

      Hi Richard, if you didn’t rinse the capers or use low-sodium stock, that could have affected the saltiness of the dish. We’ve made this countless times and never found it to be too salty when made as written.

  7. Greg says:

    5 stars

    Followed recipe exactly and it was amazing. Was nervous about all the old bay but end result was perfect. Next time I think I’ll try subbing crabmeat for shrimp just for a different spin.

    1. Tara says:

      So happy you enjoyed, Greg!

  8. Gitte Elgaard says:

    This is perfect choice for me right now because, based on your recommendation, Jim to purchase Gulf shrimp i ordered what I could find at my local chain grocer. The shrimp are from key west area, as close as I can get to your preferred locale, I think! And everything is in my kitchen TODAY!! (Although angel hair will have to do!…) THANK YOU, Jim, and oh gee, your recent pic of young James with the fish boil was daunting! Man, your son grew up in a NY minute! Hugs, from Massachusetts

    1. Tara says:

      We hope you love it, Gitte, and thank you for your comment!

  9. David Kukkola says:

    5 stars

    Delicious and simple

    1. Tara says:

      So happy you enjoyed, David!

  10. Karolyn McElwain says:

    I know we will love this as summer ☀️ moves forward.
    Keeping it simple, fresh, and easy is great.
    It may become a regular Friday evening meal.
    Still Catholic.
    A beach ⛱️ or dock side staple.
    Thank you Jim and family.
    Karolyn

    1. Tara says:

      We hope you love it, Karolyn!