Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Chtapodi me Kritharaki (Χταπόδι με Κριθαράκι)
Aegean island octopus, tomato, red wine, and toasted kritharaki share one pot, so the pasta drinks the briny sauce and stays glossy instead of turning heavy.
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Cycladic Garidomakaronada (Γαριδομακαρονάδα Κυκλάδων)
Created by
Cycladic shrimp spaghetti lives or dies by its shell stock: heads and shells simmered first, then tomato, wine, garlic, and pasta finished together in the pan.
Main Dishes
Greek
Weeknight
Comfort Food
Date Night
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield4 servings
Cycladic garidomakaronada is shrimp spaghetti from the island table, the kind you eat near the boats when the catch is small but good. The sauce is tomato, garlic, white wine, and olive oil, but the dish is not tomato pasta with shrimp thrown on top. The sea taste comes first.
The method that decides it is simple: peel the shrimp, then simmer the heads and shells before you make the sauce. That strained stock carries the sweetness and iodine of the shrimp into every strand of spaghetti. If you skip it, you still have dinner, but not garidomakaronada worth writing down.
Use whole shrimp if you can. Frozen whole shrimp are better here than sad peeled shrimp, because sourcing wins before technique. Λίγα και καλά: a few good things, and they must be the right things.
I keep this version in the Cycladic register, light, tomato-red, and quick enough for a weeknight. No cream, no cheese, no heavy hand. Just good olive oil, the shells doing their work, and pasta finished in the pan until it shines.
Garidomakaronada belongs to the seafood tavernas and home kitchens of the Greek islands, especially the Aegean, where pasta met the daily catch through centuries of maritime trade with Italy and the eastern ports. It is not an old village fasting dish, but a modern island classic built on an older Greek habit: nothing from good seafood is wasted, least of all the heads and shells. In the Cyclades the sauce is usually kept light, with tomato and wine rather than butter or cream.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole raw shrimp with heads and shells
Quantity
700g
spaghetti or linguine
Quantity
350g
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
80ml
small onion
Quantity
1
finely chopped
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
thinly sliced
dry white wine
Quantity
120ml
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
400g
grated, or use good canned crushed tomatoes
tomato paste
Quantity
1 tablespoon
bay leaf
Quantity
1
small dried chile (optional)
Quantity
1
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plus more for pasta water
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
water
Quantity
700ml
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
dill (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
lemon wedges (optional)
Quantity
as needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole raw shrimp with heads and shells | 700g |
| spaghetti or linguine | 350g |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 80ml |
| small onionfinely chopped | 1 |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 3 |
| dry white wine | 120ml |
| ripe tomatoesgrated, or use good canned crushed tomatoes | 400g |
| tomato paste | 1 tablespoon |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| small dried chile (optional) | 1 |
| fine sea saltplus more for pasta water | 1 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| water | 700ml |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| dill (optional)chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| lemon wedges (optional) | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •wide deep saute pan, 30cm
- •fine-mesh sieve
- •large pasta pot, 5 to 6 liters
- •tongs
Instructions
- 1
Clean the shrimp
Peel the shrimp, keeping the heads and shells in a bowl. Cut a shallow line along the back and remove the dark vein. Keep the cleaned shrimp cold while you make the stock.
- 2
Build the stock
Warm 30ml of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the heads and shells and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, pressing them with a spoon until they turn deep pink and smell sweet. Add 700ml water and the bay leaf, simmer 15 minutes, then strain hard through a sieve. This is the step that decides the dish: the sauce is light because its strength comes from the shells, not from heaviness.
- 3
Start the sauce
Wipe the pan. Add the remaining 50ml olive oil, the onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until soft and pale gold, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and chile, if using, and stir for 30 seconds, just until the garlic opens its smell.
- 4
Simmer the tomato
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and let it bubble until the sharp smell leaves, about 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes, 500ml of the shrimp stock, salt, and pepper. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until glossy and loose enough to coat pasta.
- 5
Boil the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a hard boil. Cook the spaghetti 2 minutes less than the packet says. Save 250ml pasta water, then drain.
- 6
Finish together
Slide the shrimp into the sauce and cook 1 minute. Add the drained pasta and toss over medium heat for 2 minutes, adding a splash of shrimp stock or pasta water as needed, until the spaghetti is glossy and the shrimp are just firm. Don't cook them longer for confidence. Overcooked shrimp turn tight and sulky.
- 7
Serve at once
Take the pan off the heat. Fold in parsley and dill, if using. Serve in warm shallow bowls with lemon wedges. No cheese here. The sea has already done its work.
Chef Tips
- •Buy whole shrimp with heads if you can. If the fishmonger only has peeled shrimp, cook another pasta that day or ask for fish bones for stock. The right method on a poor ingredient still gives you a poor plate.
- •Tomatoes matter. In summer, grate ripe fresh tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and throw away the skins. Out of season, use good canned crushed tomatoes without apology.
- •Serve this immediately. Pasta that waits drinks the sauce and turns heavy. Bring people to the table first, then finish the pan.
- •Do not add feta or grated cheese. Shrimp, tomato, garlic, wine, and olive oil are enough. The region is the dish's surname, and the Cycladic plate stays clean.
Advance Preparation
- •The shrimp stock can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept chilled.
- •The sauce can be cooked 4 hours ahead without the shrimp and pasta; finish both together just before serving.
- •Clean the shrimp up to 6 hours ahead and keep them covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 430g)
Calories
605 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
140 mg
Sodium
920 mg
Total Carbohydrates
75 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
30 g
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