Prawn Pasta

This light yet flavorful prawn pasta combines juicy prawns, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and zesty lemon in a silky, restaurant-style sauce. Quick enough for weeknights but elegant enough for entertaining, it’s a dish that balances freshness and indulgence perfectly.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 520

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Prawns

500 g large raw prawns/shrimp, unpeeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the Stock

1 cup chicken, fish, or vegetable stock
375 ml water
0.5 cup dry white wine (optional, replace with water) for alcohol-free version use stock or water
0.5 medium onion, roughly chopped

For the Pasta

400 g spaghetti
0.75 cup reserved pasta cooking water important for sauce
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1.5 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved (or 3 large tomatoes, diced)
1 large lemon, zest and juice or 1 ½ small lemons
3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dried chili flakes (optional) for a spicy kick
to taste salt
to taste freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

extra lemon wedges for garnish
extra fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Method

Peel and devein prawns, keeping tails for presentation. Save shells and heads for stock. Toss prawns with garlic and olive oil, marinate while making stock.
In a saucepan, combine prawn shells, onion, stock, water, and wine (or extra stock). Bring to a boil, then simmer. Press shells gently to release flavor. Reduce to 1–1.5 cups, strain, discard solids, and keep warm.
Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until just shy of al dente. Reserve ¾ cup pasta water before draining.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Sear prawns 1 minute per side until opaque. Remove and cover loosely.
In same skillet, add olive oil and garlic. Cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add cherry tomatoes and pasta water, simmer 1 minute until sauce thickens.
Add pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, chili flakes (if using), prawns, and warm stock. Toss quickly until coated. Remove from heat immediately.
Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with lemon wedges and parsley. Serve hot.

Notes

Use thawed frozen prawns if fresh aren’t available. Skip wine for an alcohol-free version—use more stock instead. Pasta water is essential for emulsifying the sauce. Do not freeze this dish, as prawns lose their texture.