There are many different ways to cook pasta and seafood. You can always opt for a tomatoey sauce, white sauce or olive oil with pasta or for pasta itself, the most basic cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper).

This recipe is made with a modified white sauce. Basically, I had leftover sour cream before we went away, and I am one those who hates wasting food. There were minimal ingredients in the pantry and in the fridge. So, sometimes in desperation, good food is created. The family woofed it all done. That’s testament enough when you have two picky children.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Linguine 500g
• Prawns 300g
• Sour Cream 150ml
• Olive oil
• 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
• Chives (dried)
• White wine 150ml
• Chicory x 2
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• Basil
• Sprinkle chilli flakes

Methods

First, prepare the sauce. In a small pan, pour the sour cream and heat on medium heat. Add the white wine, sprinkle of dried chives and a drizzle of olive oil. Bring it to a gentle boil and gently simmer. Do not over cook and split the cream. Add half the lemon juice in and stir well. Set aside when ready.

Next, cook the linguine. Ensure the pan of water is boiling and don’t forget to add salt to the water to increase the boiling point. I love my pasta al dente so about 8 -10 minutes in the boiling water is good. For this recipe, I cook it 8 minutes as I will be tossing it into the pan with prawns to soak up the goodness.

Whilst pasta is cooking, prepare the prawns. In a hot pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and fry until light golden brown. Add the prawns, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and cook through. Uncooked raw medium prawns would usually take about 4 minutes to cook through. Best to look at what you are cooking, when the meat turns orangey red, that’s a sign it’s cooked. Overcooked prawns are not tasty but undercooked prawns can cause serious health issue too. I do mine about 2 minutes on each side. Once cooked, toss in the linguine to soak up the goodness in the pan. Now, add the rest of the lemon juice in.

I served mine with some chicory. Wash them and cut them lengthwise into halves. A little drizzle of olive oil in a hot pan and cook for about a minute and a half.

All done! Serve the linguine in a pasta bowl, prawns on top, drizzle the white sauce over. Garnish with some fresh basil (tear it with your hands for that rustic look) and lemon zest. Serve with a wedge of lemon, ground pepper, some chilli flakes and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It’s very important for me to dress the dish as food is not just about eating. All sensation comes into play to create that unique food memory, sense of smell, vision, taste especially.

Allora, there you go, Linguine con Gamberi. Buon Appetito tutti! I hope you enjoy this version of Prawn Linguine.