Prawn and tomato tagliatelle

This delicate yet tasty dish is one of the favorite of that great fish lover that is Carlo. The secret is to use fresh prawns in their shells, which is where 90% of the flavour comes from.

Yep, it’s that simple.



INGREDIENTS

 

Prawns, fresh, shell-on 500 gr
White fish Head only 
Yellow cherry or cocktail tomatoes 200 gr
Tomato puree 500 gr
White wine 200 ml
Garlic 4 cloves
Parsley 40 gr
Olive oil 45 ml (3 tablespoons)
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste
Chillies To taste
Fresh egg tagliatelle 500 gr

 

PREPARATION

PREPARE YOUR INGREDIENTS

  • Crush or finely slice the garlic.
  • Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
  • Wash and finely chop the parsley.
  • Separate the head of the fish from its body.

PREPARE THE SAUCE

  • Sauté the garlic with half the chopped parsley.
  • Add the fish head, the white wine, and the tomatoes.
  • Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, adding water to keep the fish submerged.
  • Remove the head from the pan and throw it away.
  • Pour the tomato puree into the pan.
  • Add pepper and chillies to taste.
  • Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
  • Add the shell-on prawns to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Salt to taste when the sauce is almost ready.

*Notes*

  • We have used what in most of Italy (there are regional variations) are called gamberi and, in most English speaking countries, scampi. In our opinion they are tastier than their soft-shelled cousins, but you can also make this dish with regular prawns as long as they aren’t too small. There’s no need to go gigantic, but if the body measures less than 5-6 cm you won’t have much meat to bite on.
  • Frozen prawns are ok, but make sure that they are shell-on and not precooked or your dish won’t taste of much more than plain tomato. 

*Variant*

If you don’t want to get your fingers dirty when you eat, peel the prawns before adding them to the sauce and use their heads to add flavor. 

  • Peel the prawns and set the heads aside.
  • Sauté the garlic with half the chopped parsley.
  • Add the fish head, the white wine, the tomatoes, and the heads of your prawns.
  • Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, adding water as needed.
  • Remove all the heads and throw them away.
  • Pour the tomato puree into the pan.
  • Add pepper and chillies to taste.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Add the peeled prawns to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Salt to taste when the sauce is almost ready.

Keep some shell-on prawns for decoration, placing them in the pan 5 minutes before the peeled prawns. 

COOK THE PASTA

Fresh egg tagliatelle take 5 minutes or less to be ready, so make sure you put them into the pot after you’ve started cooking the prawns.

  • Fill a pot with water and bring to the boil.
  • Add a pinch of salt.
  • Cook for 5 minutes or however long recommended by the manufacturer.

The classic choice for red seafood condiments is fresh egg tagliatelle, but you can also pair your prawn and tomato sauce with the dainty chitarrine or even gnocchi. 

PAIR & SERVE

Pair with a white wine

  • Pinot Grigio works well with tomato-based seafood, as does Verdicchio. Given how delicate this dish is you could go for a Prosecco too.
  • If you don’t fancy Italian wines, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are excellent alternatives.
  • Whichever cultivar you choose, serve it chilled at 8-10ºC.

Serve your dish

  • Plate the tagliatelle or (gnocchi if you choose the road less travelled) immediately and garnish with the remainder of the chopped parsley.
  • If you are using shell-on prawns, you may want to give your guests a little bowl of hot water with a slice of lemon in which they can rinse their fingers. Your cloth napkins will thank you too!

 

ENJOY!

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