Description
This Creamy Prawn Linguine is a simple yet elegant pasta dish featuring succulent prawns cooked in a luscious, flavorful cream sauce with shallots, garlic, fresh red chili, white wine, and parmesan. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a special meal, this recipe brings together the richness of cream and cheese with the light heat of chili and freshness of parsley.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Prawns and Pasta
- 5-7 oz / 150-200 g raw peeled prawns/shrimp (fresh or thawed if frozen)
- 7 oz / 200 g linguine or other long-cut pasta
Sauce
- 2/3 cup / 160 ml heavy/double cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml dry white wine
- 1/4 cup / 20 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large shallot, very finely diced (approx 1/4 cup)
- 1 large fresh red chili, deseeded and very finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente, according to package instructions, usually about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving some pasta water for later use.
- Prepare the prawns: Pat the raw peeled prawns dry with paper towels. Season them lightly with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Cook the prawns: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and fry each side for about a minute or until they turn a light golden color and are just cooked through. Remove prawns from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
- Sauté aromatics: Melt butter in the same pan. Add the finely diced shallot and chili, frying until they are soft and starting to pick up some color, about 2-3 minutes. Then add garlic and fry for another minute until fragrant.
- Deglaze and simmer: Pour in the dry white wine and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until mostly evaporated. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
- Add cream and cheese: Stir in the heavy cream, diced parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Toss pasta and prawns: Using tongs, transfer the cooked linguine straight from the pot into the pan with the sauce. Toss well to combine and coat the pasta. Add the cooked prawns and gently toss again. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a little at a time to achieve desired consistency, tossing continuously until the sauce clings to the pasta.
- Serve: Plate the creamy prawn linguine and garnish with extra fresh parsley and Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Choice of prawns: Fresh king prawns are preferred, but smaller or smaller frozen prawns are fine as long as they are thawed and deveined.
- Checking prawn doneness: Raw prawns hang straight, cooked prawns curl into a ‘C’ shape, and overcooked prawns curl into an ‘O’ shape. Aim for the ‘C’ shape to avoid overcooking.
- Chili: Fresh red chilies add a mild heat; deseed them to reduce spiciness. You may substitute with dried chili flakes starting at 1/4 teaspoon and adjust to taste.
- Calories estimate: The recipe calories are estimated assuming 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil used overall and the entire recipe divided into two servings.
