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Easy garlic prawn pasta recipe

Easy garlic prawn pasta

This 15min pasta can't get any easier. Healthy and packed full of flavour (that mouthwatering tang from the lemon juice!). Perfect weekday meal. Pair this with a quick crunchy salad and you're golden.
4.78 from 31 votes
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Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 528kcal

Ingredients

  • 300 g raw prawns peeled, deveined (Note 1)
  • 250 g dried spaghetti or your favourite pasta
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon about 1 tablespoon
  • salt & pepper

Prawn marinade

  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Ensure to season the water with salt. About 1 tbsp.
  • Whilst pasta is cooking, mix prawn marinade with prawns and set aside.
  • Once pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water.
  • Saute marinated prawns with 2 tablespoon of olive oil on a large, non-stick pan on medium/high heat. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Squeeze in lemon juice, stir for 10 seconds then mix in cooked pasta and reserved pasta cooking water. Stir thoroughly for 1 minute. (Note 2)
  • By now, the pasta cooking water should have been mostly absorbed.
  • Turn heat off, mix in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. I like to go heavy on the pepper.
  • Serve immediately, with a wedge of lemon.

Video

Notes

Note 1. Peeled, deveined prawns you can find peeled, deveined (butterflied) raw prawns from the frozen section at most supermarkets. If using fresh prawns, follow the steps below to peel and devein at home: 
  • Lightly twist off the head of the prawns. If they're super fresh, the vein may come out too.
  • Peel the shells and legs off the prawns. I always start from the legs and most of the times the shells come off together.
  • Carefully, make an incision along the back of the prawn with a small knife. The safest way is by laying the prawn down on its side and cut the incision.
  • Scrape off the vein with the tip of your knife.
 
Note 2. Pasta cooking water is used to to help loosen up the pasta and allow easy mixing and bringing all the ingredients together. It also prevents pasta from drying out. If you forget to reserve the pasta cooking water, simply use hot water to mix the pasta with. Be sure to taste and adjust for seasoning before serving as desired. 
Adding salt to pasta cooking water seasons the pasta as it cooks - goodbye bland pasta! 
Leftovers for the next day as a general rule, I don't recommend leaving seafood dishes for the next day. However, if you must, I recommend not reheating and eat the pasta cold. It'll still be tasty! Reheating leftover seafood brings out a fishy smell and the flesh dries out very easily.  
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 64.5g | Protein: 31.6g | Fat: 16.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 3mg