Last Tuesday, Saveur ran a recipe story, “Run, Don’t Walk, for This Pasta Inspired by Jamaican Rundown.” It immediately caught the attention of Thursday Food ! As we scrolled, we crossed our fingers that the recipe was done by someone from the region. Whew, it was!

St Lucian-born chef Nina Compton, who is no stranger to Jamaica, created this spin on a traditional rundown. It is a star item on the menu at her notable New Orleans restaurant Compère Lapin. Compton, who was in Jamaica last July to cook for a fund-raiser at Skylark hotel in Negril, in support of the Rockhouse Foundation, draws on her Caribbean roots and classical French and Italian training to inspire her fine-dining menu.

At Compère Lapin you’ll be able to dine on conch croquettes, escoveitch snapper served with a carrot beurre blanc, jerked chicken served alongside coconut creamed corn, curried goat tossed with sweet potato gnocchi, and of course the pasta in shrimp rundown sauce. This week at the restaurant Compton is doing a special prix fixe menu highlighting the cuisines of Martinique and her homeland of St Lucia.

In case you’re still fantasising about flying to NOLA to eat at Compère Lapi, but have not got around to it, this recipe is like having Compton in your home.

Spaghetti with Shrimp Rundown Sauce

By Nina Compton

Ingredients:

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb shrimp shells (5 cups), plus 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied, divided

1 2-oz piece ginger, bruised and coarsely chopped (¾ cup)

1 medium stalk of lemongrass, bruised and thinly sliced (1/3 cup)

1 habanero chile, quartered

3 oz tomato paste

4 cups full-fat coconut milk (32 oz)

1 tbsp finely grated orange zest

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp finely grated lime zest

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

Kosher salt

1½ lb fresh spaghetti (or substitute 1 lb dried spaghetti), boiled in a pot of salted water until halfway cooked, then drained and rinsed in cool water, cooking water reserved

1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint

1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil

Method:

In a wide pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until bright pink, 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger, lemongrass, and habanero; cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking and stirring until completely combined and very dry but not yet caramelized, 6-8 minutes more. Add the coconut milk and eight cups cold water, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about a third, 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, marinate the shrimp: In a medium bowl, add the shrimp, ½ cup oil, and citrus zests; toss well to coat. Refrigerate until you are ready to finish the pasta, at least 45 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heat-proof liquid-measuring cup or bowl. Strain the shrimp-shell stock, pressing on the solids with a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids, then measure two cups of the stock and set by the stove. (Reserve the remaining stock for another use; it can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.)

In a deep, wide skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Once the oil is hot, add the scallions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the reserved two cups stock and bring to a strong simmer; cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is reduced by half and beginning to separate, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt. Add the pasta and shrimp, and cook, stirring and tossing continuously with tongs, until the shrimp and pasta are cooked through, and the sauce is thick and creamy, 3-5 minutes. (If the sauce looks dry, add reserved pasta cooking water as needed.) Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with herbs, and serve hot.