Several people have requested this recipe and it really is time that I provided it. Since my first post in July, which included a photo of the sauce, I have been making excuses. At first my excuse was the measurements (or lack of them), but given I have now had over three months to measure what is a staple dish in my household, that excuse doesn’t really hold much weight anymore.
The real issue is that I make it differently every time. I have just been through the notepad that I now keep by the stove for recording measurements and in it I have found 3 recipes for prawn spaghetti, none of which are the same. This had been my most recent excuse until someone helpfully pointed out that I could provide the basic core recipe and then variations separately. So here we are.
I am embarrassed to admit that most of the time when I make this dish I use a bag of frozen raw prawns from the supermarket, as this is a quick and easy go to recipe for me. Fresh prawns would, of course, be better if you fancy splashing out.
I am less embarrassed to admit that I use dried spaghetti. Spaghetti is one of few pastas that I actually prefer dried; blasphemous, I know. I find that it is hard to achieve that perfect al dente bite with the fresh stuff. It is for this slightly firmer texture that I choose spaghetti for this dish, rather than linguini or tagliatelle, which I think are better suited to smooth and creamy sauces.
The crisp, dry white wine is very important. You want something citrusy and acidic to complement the seafood. Something more fruity will have residual sugar and when you reduce it you will end up with a sweet flavour which is not desirable. A light sauvignon blanc or semillon are generally a good shout. Cheap, basic wine is fine - it's the acidity you are looking for, not depth of flavour.
This recipe serves 2 people and takes about 15 minutes to make.
Basic recipe
Ingredients
Method
Put a large saucepan of water on to boil for the spaghetti, add a pinch of salt and a little olive oil so that it doesn’t stick together. While the water is heating you can prepare the onions, garlic and any other additions you might be using from the variations below. If you have everything prepared, the sauce will take 6-8 minutes to make, so try to time it to be ready with the spaghetti.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallot and garlic and cook until pale and translucent, stirring reasonably frequently (approx two minutes).
Turn the heat up to high and after a few seconds pour in the white wine. Let the wine bubble and reduce for approximately 30 seconds before turning the heat down to medium and adding the lemon juice, chilli flakes, capers, and caper vinegar. Simmer for a minute or two, then add the prawns; the prawns are ready when they are a bright shade of pink or orange all over (if the prawns are frozen this will take approximately three minutes).
When the prawns are ready, turn the heat off and toss with the spaghetti and parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
Variations
With asparagus This is my most frequently used variation, as is evident in the pictures. I add asparagus more often than I do not and even in the subsequent variations asparagus is usually present.
Follow the basic recipe, but add 200g trimmed asparagus spears (350g bunch before bottoms are trimmed) or asparagus tips when you add the prawns. If you are using frozen prawns, the asparagus should take the same amount of time to cook, but allow slightly longer than in the basic recipe. I usually cover the pot when I add asparagus to aid even cooking, stirring occasionally.
With tomato Follow the basic recipe, adding one or two diced tomatoes just before you add the prawns. Since the tomato breaks down slightly, contributing more liquid to the sauce, I sometimes add less wine and lemon juice or reduce them down for longer earlier on.
With cherry tomatoes and rocket or baby spinach Follow the basic recipe, tossing a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and a handful or two of rocket or baby spinach with the spaghetti just before serving.
With salsa verde Stir through one or two tablespoons of salsa verde just before tossing the sauce with the spaghetti. I usually reduce the amount of lemon juice, capers and vinegar when doing this. Or if you really want to taste the salsa verde, then skip them entirely and add a bit more of the salsa. This works well with all the other combinations, but particularly with the cherry tomato and rocket/spinach combination.
With chives If I don’t have any parsley I use chives instead, since I have a healthy plant on my balcony. It goes well with the garlic, but my preference is for parsley.
With other seafood As you might suspect, this dish works well with other seafood. You may wish to swap the prawns for lobster or scampi and add some other fruitti di mare, such as squid, mussels or vongole (baby clams). I would usually choose 3 of the above, rather than all of them, my preference being for prawns, vongole and squid. The timing of the dish will depend on which of the above you decide on.
