Garlic Butter Shrimp Buldak Pasta (Printable)

Succulent shrimp in garlic butter tossed with spicy Korean sauce and perfectly cooked pasta for a bold fusion dish.

# What You Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz spaghetti or linguine

→ Garlic Butter

03 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tbsp olive oil

→ Buldak Sauce

06 - 3 tbsp Korean red chili flakes (gochugaru)
07 - 2 tbsp Korean red chili paste (gochujang)
08 - 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
09 - 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
10 - 2 tsp rice vinegar
11 - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
12 - 2 tbsp water

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
14 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

# Directions:

01 - Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
02 - Whisk together gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and water until smooth.
03 - Heat olive oil with 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
04 - Add shrimp in a single layer to skillet. Cook each side 1–2 minutes until just pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
05 - Pour the buldak sauce into the skillet and simmer for 1–2 minutes until bubbling.
06 - Add drained pasta to skillet and toss to coat with sauce. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen sauce.
07 - Return shrimp to skillet along with remaining butter. Toss together and cook 1 minute to heat through.
08 - Transfer to serving dish and garnish with chopped parsley and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Combining garlicky butter with spicy buldak sauce creates a noodle experience you'll crave again and again.
  • It delivers restaurant-worthy flavor with surprisingly little fuss, and as a bonus—clean-up is easy.
02 -
  • If you cook the shrimp too long, they lose their juicy snap and become rubbery—once they're barely opaque, pull them out.
  • Saucing the pasta off the heat lets the noodles really soak up flavor without thickening into a clump.
03 -
  • If you reserve pasta water, you control sauce texture—start small and add a splash at a time so the pasta stays slick, never soupy.
  • Using a wide skillet allows you to toss the noodles more easily, ensuring every strand soaks up flavor.
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