Tomato Prawn Pasta
A simple selection of ingredients come together to create this beautiful tomato prawn pasta!
Servings: 2
Cost: £4 / $5
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels
- Large Pot & Tongs
- Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 200g / 7oz dry Tagliatelle, or other long-cut pasta
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 150-200g / 5-7oz raw peeled King Prawns/Shrimp (see notes)
- 3 tbsp / 45g Butter
- 3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to spice preference (start if with less if at all wary)
- 80ml / 1/3 cup Rosé Wine (see notes)
- 250g / 9oz Baby Plum Tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 small bunch of Fresh Basil, roughly diced
- Salt & Pepper, as needed
- Parmesan, to serve (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Add the pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't drain.
- Pat the prawns dry then season them all over with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, spread out the prawns and leave for 1 minute. Flip them over and fry for a further minute until golden on the other side and just about cooked through. Remove them from the pan.
- Lower the heat slightly, melt in the butter then add the garlic and chilli flakes. Fry for 10-30 seconds (careful the garlic doesn't burn). Pour in the wine and simmer to reduce for 2 minutes (important to burn off alcohol). Use your wooden spoon to deglaze the pan as needed.
- Add in the tomatoes, season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then fry 2 minutes until they start to soften and leak out their juices. Use your tongs to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan.
- Toss to coat in the sauce, then toss in the basil and prawns (alongside any resting juices). Continue tossing until you create a glossy sauce that's no longer watery (thin out with a splash of pasta water if you need to). Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. You can also add some more chilli flakes if you'd like.
- Serve with a few pinches of basil and some parmesan if desired.
Video
Notes
a) Prawns - Most pre-packed prawns will come ready to cook (deveined etc). You can use frozen, just make sure you thaw them first. They won't take long to cook, so a short high-heat fry will do the trick. Try to avoid them curling up into an 'O' shape as this typically means they're overcooked. A tight(ish) 'C' shape with some colour on each side is what you're aiming for.
b) Wine - The simmering time is important to reduce the wine and burn off the alcohol. The flavour ends up very subtle, but still worth adding. I don't drink wine so I just buy the mini bottles. I haven't tried this with white wine but I imagine it'll make a great sub.
c) Tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes will work great too. Don't completely soften them before you add the pasta otherwise they'll turn to mush. Just until they begin to wilt and leak their juices.
d) Chilli Flakes - Depending on the brand 1/4 tsp gives a warmth to the dish, but nothing crazy. If you're wary just start off with less as you can always add more.
e) Consistency - The sauce will be a little watery once you add the pasta, but as you toss everything, the excess starchy pasta water will emulsify with the butter/tomato juice to create a nice glossy sauce. If it dries out too quickly just add in a splash of pasta water to thin out as needed.
f) Calories - Whole dish divided by 2 assuming 165g prawns and no parmesan.
Nutrition
Calories: 706kcal | Carbohydrates: 87.67g | Protein: 23.47g | Fat: 27.46g | Saturated Fat: 12.478g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.719g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.177g | Trans Fat: 0.72g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 836mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 12.6g | Sugar: 3.73g | Vitamin A: 2073IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1.77mg