Take your pasta up a notch by using the free flavour in prawn (shrimp) shells to make a quick stock which is used as a sauce for this Prawn Pasta. This is a restaurant secret!
The first time I tried pasta made this way was at a family dinner when my brother made it. I have never scoffed down a pasta so fast, and I’m pretty sure I went back for thirds. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was so good. So, so good. After dinner, he finally revealed that the sauce he used was made using the prawn heads and shells. And ever since then, I have been obsessed with making prawn (shrimp) pasta this way.
“Use the prawn (shrimp) heads and shells to make a sauce that makes this a restaurant quality pasta.”
So by using the prawn heads and shells to make a quick stock, you can make a pasta that is a step up from the usual. It’s not a full blown fish stock, just a quick one made using the prawn heads and shells. And it doesn’t taste fishy at all. I would describe it as sweet with a deep flavour. In fact, it’s actually quite hard to pick why the pasta tastes so good, you just know it does!
This is best made using raw whole prawns which you peel yourself because you will get the most flavour in the stock/sauce. But it can also be made using pre cooked prawns, as long as they are not peeled.
Oh, before I sign off, a quick tip for Sydney-siders! I got these prawns from Harris Farm Markets on a whim because I just discovered today that all their fresh seafood is 50% off from 2pm on Sundays! I will most certainly be making it a habit to swing by Harris Farms on Sunday afternoons…..
Happy cooking! – Nagi
PS Do you know how to tell a prawn is perfectly cooked? A raw prawn hangs straight. A perfectly cooked prawn curls into a “C” shape. An overcooked prawn curls into an “O” shape. It’s so sad when that happens!
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Shrimp / Prawn Pasta with Lemon
Ingredients
Prawns / Shrimp
- 1 lb / 500g large , raw, unpeeled prawns/shrimp
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Stock
- 1 cup chicken or fish stock/broth (or vegetable)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup white wine (optional - sub with water)
- 1/2 onion , roughly chopped
Pasta
- 400 g / 13oz spaghetti
- 3/4 cup pasta cooking water (i.e. scoop it out once the pasta is cooked)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 1/2 punnets cherry tomatoes , cut in half (or 3 large tomatoes, diced)
- 1 large lemon (or 1 1/2 small lemons), zest and juice
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
- Salt
- Black pepper
To Serve
- Extra lemon wedges
- Extra fresh parsley , finely chopped
Instructions
- Peel and devein the prawns, keeping the tails in tact. (Note 1)
- Discard the vein and place the heads and shells in a saucepan or pot to make the stock. (Note 2)
- Cut the larger prawns lengthwise in half.
- Add 2 minced garlic cloves the minced garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Use your fingers to gently coat the prawns. Cover and set aside to marinate while you make the stock.
Make the stock
- Add the remaining stock ingredients into the saucepan/pot and place over high heat. Bring to boil then turn down to medium / medium high and let it simmer rapidly.
- Get a potato masher and "crush" the prawn heads and shells (to extract maximum flavour). Do this a couple of times while it is simmering.
- When the liquid has reduced to around 1 to 1 1/2 cups, strain the stock into a bowl, then pour the stock back into the pot. (Note 3) Place lid on, then set the stock aside, keeping it warm until required.
Cook the Pasta and Prawns/Shrimp
- Bring a large pot of water with 2 tsp of salt to boil. Add pasta and cook until just before al dente (Note 4).
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep fry pan over high heat.
- Add the prawns and cook the first side for 1 minute, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove onto a plate, loosely cover with foil and set aside. (Note 5)
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 garlic clove (minced) into the fry pan. Scrape the residual oil and garlic from the bowl the prawns were marinating in as well. Return the fry pan to the stove and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
- Transfer the cooked pasta into the fry pan (use tongs to transfer it from the pasta pot) along with 3/4 cup of the pasta water (this is a key step) and cherry tomatoes. Gently toss the pasta in the fry pan for around 1 minute. The water will thicken and turn into a glossy coating on the pasta.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, chilli (if using) and prawns/shrimp. Quickly toss to combine, then pour over the stock and toss quickly to coat all the pasta. Then remove from heat immediately.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (always do this last).
- Drizzle with extra olive oil, and serve immediately, with extra lemon wedges and fresh parsley if desired.
- Note: seafood pastas and risottos are not traditionally garnished with parmesan (in Italy), however, I say do as you wish!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
I must admit, the thought of buying shrimp with the heads still on is a little daunting, but this looks so good I think I need to try it! Love your pics – makes me want to take a bite!
Really??! In Australia, already peeled shrimp is less popular because it COSTS so much more!!
Amazing picture Nagi, it makes me very hungggrryy..!
Thank you Amallia, you’re so sweet!
Nagi , no matter how simple a dish is you always give life to it! AND the photography … AMAZING. You truly inspire me. Thanks for the tips!
Awww, thank you so much Imma!! 🙂 You know you inspire me so much too. Honestly, your recipes….I want to make all of them!! 🙂
This truly looks STUNNING – Nagi – and sounds even better:)
Thank you Rachel!
That is awesome looking pasta, love the composition and the bold and intense colors in this photo! The quick fish stock sounds like a phenomenal idea, it’s very hard to get shrimp/prawns with heads here in CO but maybe just the shells will already do the trick.
Thanks Nicole! And thank you so much for your feedback on the photo. I truly value your opinion, being the professional photographer that you are!!
Love the tip on how to tell when a shrimp is perfectly cooked! Hadn’t heard that before. And love this recipe too — so, so tasty. Thanks.
Thanks so much John!
Yummy! I love prawns in anything, so this is definitely a win recipe for me! Pinned!
Thanks Sarah!! I’m like you – I can’t think of a single dish with prawns that I DON’T love!!
It’s amazing the great fish stock flavor you can get from the shrimp shells. Great recipe. Thank you for the cooking tips,
You know those tips already! I know you do!!
Are you kidding me??!! Will you please come to my house and give me a photography lesson? Stunning! And boy this dish looks good!! Brava!
Thanks Annie, for your lovely comments!!
Nagi…as always so super impressed with your gorgeous GORGEOUS photos and beautifully written recipes…sigh…
Thank you Mila!
Don’t you just love when something so simple can taste so amazing!! I think the secret is in your seafood broth. You know that even up above the HK wet markets the little ladies make their seafood broth with the heads and shells of shrimp too, all those little ladies cooking their hearts out can’t be wrong. I would love slurping down some of your delicious noodles for dinner. Take Care, BAM
Oh YES!! I remember when I was in HK, the broth of soups are just amazing! I figured prawns were the secret – fish too. The seafood stock in some HK places is truly incredible. And so cheap too!! Oh, I have SUCH wonderful memories of HK!!
This looks fantastic and I love your tip at the end about how to cook a shrimp properly!
Thanks so much Allie!
I had no idea about the doneness of prawns. I always cooked them until they were opaque and that was good enough. Really good tip to know. I did know about the shells for stock. This is such an attractive dish and a gorgeous photo.
Hi Maureen!! Cooking is opaqueness is basically the same if you’ve got the eye for it! Some people thing “opaque” means a hard white which = overcooked! So that’s why I like to give the “C” tip 🙂
Nagi, this recipe certainly looks restaurant quality alright … that photograph is stunning!
This has got to be one of my favourite kinds of meals, but unfortunately I’m only able to order this kind of thing at a restaurant, as hubby is allergic … how inconsiderate, huh?!
What a great tip to boil the prawn shells to make the sauce! Guess what I’m going to be making next time the hubs goes out. 😉
Thanks so much Helen!! And yes, that is so inconsiderate of your hubbie to be allergic! Get rid of him! 🙂
Oh my goodness yum! This pasta looks to DIE for!
Thank you so much!
I’m so excited to learn about that stock technique, Nagi! I am going to try it right away – and this pasta?? Nothing short of divine!!
Wow, that’s a compliment, coming from an Italian food expert! Thanks Marissa! 🙂
This looks delicious! So glad to learn some tips on cooking a good stock. Easy too, so I love that!
Thanks so much Sandra!
Oh my gosh, I’m salivating just thinking of it. Why I never thought of cooking pasta in shrimp stock before?? Now I regret all that beautiful stock I let go down the drain. Oh well, lesson learned!
PS: Is some of the text missing in the step 2? How much water do I need to cook the shrimp and make the stock?
Thanks Shinee! The ingredients list has the amount of liquid required to make the stock 🙂 And the steps to make the stock are in the directions after step 4!
Haha, my bad. I was reading the note section, not instructions. Sorry!
This sounds absolutely wonderful! And your photographs are so lovely!
Thank you so much Jen!
My daughter and I love pasta and in fact we often make lemon prawn shrimp pasta but the stock you made is way better than what I have been making so far. And thanks for the tip on cooking shrimp.
No worries! I love pasta too. SO much!