Prawn and Chorizo Pasta
This Prawn and Chorizo Pasta is a culinary delight. Plenty of juicy prawns and sausages with olive oil, garlic, shallots, wine & lemon juice
Video
Ingredients
- 400g / 14oz dried spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) olive oil, for browning chorizo & searing prawns
- 200g / 7oz cured Spanish chorizo, cut into 0.5cm thick slices (NOTE 1)
- 400g / 14oz large raw peeled and cleaned prawn/shrimp meat (NOTE 2)
- ½ cup (125ml / 4.2floz) olive oil
- 8 (25g / 0.9oz) large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (135g / 4.8oz) shallots or eschalots, finely diced (NOTE 3)
- ¼ cup (60ml / 2floz) white wine (NOTE 4)
- 200g / 7oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes (NOTE 5)
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
Optional toppings and garnish
- shredded parmesan cheese
- finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the instruction on the packet, or until 'al dente'. We want the pasta softened and mostly cooked, but still firm with slight chewiness. Overcooked pasta will go mushy and break. Once the pasta is done, save about 1/2 a cup of pasta water. To save time with less washing to do, you can cook the pasta alongside the other ingredients, then transfer it straight to the frying pan. I like to drain my pasta, rinse it in cold water, toss it with a bit of olive oil, and keep it aside until ready to use.
- Slice the chorizo into 0.5cm / 0.20 inch pieces, either in rounds or at an angle. Using a large frying pan or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the chorizo from pan and transfer onto a plate for later.
- Sear the prawns in the same pan, using the leftover oil, for 30 seconds per side. We don't need to fully cook them yet, as we will finish cooking them with the pasta.
- Carefully wipe the same pan with paper towels, using tongs, for safety. Heat 1/2 cup of oil over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and shallots. Saute for a minute, or until shallots soften. Pour in the wine, and cook until the alcohol smells disappears.
- Next, put in the tomatoes, paprika, chilli flakes, and salt, then saute until tomatoes soften. Add the pasta, gently folding or tossing to combine with other ingredients, then add the prawns and chorizo. Keep tossing the pasta until the prawns are cooked through and opaque.
- Add the lemon juice and 2 to 4 tablespoons of pasta water. Have a taste, and adjust the flavours to your liking if needed, by adding more salt, pepper or more lemon juice. Top the pasta with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley (optional).
Notes
(NOTE 1) Spanish chorizo - We want the fermented and cured sausage (not the fresh, or raw kind), the ones that are usually vacuum sealed and stored in the fridge. The curing process involves drying and sometimes smoking, resulting in a firm, dry texture. Its flavour is intensely savoury and smoky.
(NOTE 2) Raw prawns - I used raw frozen peeled prawns, which were conveniently deveined and cleaned before packaging. The frozen prawns need to be thawed completely in the fridge, then drained of any excess water and patted dry before use. We need 400gm / 14oz of prawn meat (which excludes any shells) for this recipe. If you can spare the time and money, opt for fresh large raw shelled prawns, as they are more delicious and have a more pronounced prawn taste.
(NOTE 3) Shallots (eschalot or French shallots) - Shallots look like small brown onions but are skinny and oval-shaped with a mild flavour. They're difficult to peel and are usually more expensive than other types of onions. You could swap them for equal amounts of brown or red onions.
(NOTE 4) White wine - Any inexpensive white wine will do, but if possible, opt for a 'dry' white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio as they're less sweet. If you would like to omit the wine, swap it with the same amount of salt-reduced (low sodium) chicken stock, or non-alcoholic wine.
(NOTE 5) Chilli flakes are dried, crushed, or ground chilli peppers. They vary in heat level and flavour depending on the type of pepper used. Always start with a little, as you can add some more, or you can just omit it.
This pasta tastes best when serve immediately because it's not tomato-based. Allow the leftover pasta cool at room temperature, then put it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 620kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 24gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 789mgPotassium: 420mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 765IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 3mg