Prawn head linguine

Get the absolute most out of your prawns with a creamy sauce that utilises the whole prawn – shell, head and all – to pack your pasta sauce full of rich, umami flavour. This recipe comes from Ryan Corr.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 400 g medium King whole prawns
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp chilli oil (optional)
• 1 tbsp (25 g) tomato paste
• 1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
• 1 cup (250 ml) water
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 200 g linguine pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 anchovy fillet
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• ½ cup thickened cream
• Roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Instructions

1. Peel and devein the prawns, reserving the prawn heads, tails and shells in a separate bowl (these will be used for the sauce!). Roughly chop the prawn meat.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the reserved prawn heads, tails and shells with the brown onion and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the prawn shells turn red. Stir through the chilli oil and tomato paste, stirring to coat. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and bring to the boil. Add the water and simmer for a further 20 minutes, then pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or jug, discarding the solids. Season the liquid with salt to taste.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a cleaned frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the prawns, garlic, anchovy and chilli and cook for 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. Return the pan to the heat and add the prawn head sauce and cream. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Use tongs to transfer the pasta directly to the sauce with the cooked prawns and a little pasta water. Toss lightly to coat, then remove from the heat.
4. Divide the prawn head linguine between plates and sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.