Coconut milk in pasta? Hear us out. When you pair gata with taba ng talangka, you get a sauce that's savory, familiar, and rich enough to coat every strand of spaghetti. Throw in some shrimp, siling pansigang, and a squeeze of lemon. It’s something familiar but something new.
Aligue pasta is already good on its own. But add coconut cream to the mix and it becomes something else. Ginataang aligue is a great combination for a reason. The coconut softens the sharpness of the crab fat while keeping all that deep, briny linamnam intact. Toss in some shrimp, finish with siling pansigang and a squeeze of lemon, and you've got a full meal that tastes like it took way more effort than it did.
The sauce comes together fast and in one pan. Garlic in oil, then butter, then taba ng talangka, then coconut cream. A squeeze of lemon at the end cuts through the richness and ties everything together.
Start sauce: While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add taba ng talangka and shrimp: Add butter and taba ng talangka, stirring to combine. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until they curl and turn bright orange, about 2–3 minutes. Pour in coconut cream and stir to bring it all together. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook pasta: Boil pasta 3 minutes short of package instructions in salted water. Before draining, scoop out about ½ cup of pasta water and set aside
Finish pasta in the sauce: Add the drained spaghetti directly into the pan. Toss to coat and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce, 2–3 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add the reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time.
Serve: Finish with a squeeze of lemon and sliced siling pansigang on top.
