Fettuccine with giant prawns and cherry tomatoes

Method11 steps · about 1 hr

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash and halve the tomatoes. Peel and finely chop the two garlic cloves for the tomato sauce. Separately peel and chop the additional 2–3 garlic cloves for the prawn pan, and keep these two garlic portions separate. Wash and chop the parsley, keeping some aside for serving.

   Uses 500 g cherry tomatoes, washed and halved · 2 garlic cloves for tomato sauce · 2–3 garlic cloves for prawns · 1 handful fresh parsley, washed and chopped

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat the tomato-sauce olive oil (3–4 tablespoons) in a large frying pan or skillet. Add the prepared tomato-sauce garlic and let it soften, then add the halved tomatoes and dried thyme (1 teaspoon). Simmer until the tomatoes soften; the source does not give a numeric duration for this stage.

   Uses 3–4 tablespoons olive oil for tomato sauce · The 2 chopped garlic cloves for tomato sauce · All 500 g prepared cherry tomatoes · 1 teaspoon dried thyme

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Stir some of the prepared chopped parsley into the softened tomato sauce and remove the pan from the heat. Keep the sauce for step 8 and the remaining chopped parsley for serving.

   Uses The softened tomato and thyme sauce · Some of the chopped parsley; keep the remainder for serving

4. 4

   Step 4: Thaw frozen raw prawns if necessary. Wash the prawns and remove the heads, leaving the shells on for cooking. The listed 700 g is the unpeeled starting weight, not a promised amount of peeled meat.

   Uses 700 g giant prawns, weighed unpeeled

   
5. 5

   Step 5: In a separate frying pan, melt all 20 g butter with the 1 tablespoon of prawn-pan olive oil.

   Uses 20 g butter · 1 tablespoon prawn-pan olive oil

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the prepared prawn-pan garlic to the melted butter and oil and fry until it starts to soften. Add the shell-on prawns and fry until the shells colour, about 5 minutes. The fry timer covers this first stage only. Pour in the glass of white wine, turn up the heat and continue cooking for up to another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wine reduces and the prawns are opaque and cooked through. Continue as needed for the actual prawn size rather than relying on shell colour alone.

   Fry Prawns · 5 minUses The melted butter and oil in the prawn pan · The separate 2–3 chopped garlic cloves · All the washed, headless prawns, still in their shells · 1 glass white wine; volume unspecified

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Turn off the heat. Lift the cooked prawns from the pan with a slotted spoon, keeping the pan juices. Once cool enough to handle, remove the shells and any remaining dark vein. Keep the peeled cooked prawns and the cooking juices separately for step 8.

   Uses The cooked prawns and their wine-butter pan juices

8. 8

   Step 8: Cut the peeled cooked prawns into 2–3 pieces each. If desired, keep one intact peeled cooked prawn for each plate from this same batch. Add the prawn pieces and any intact decoration prawns to the prepared tomato sauce with a little of the reserved prawn cooking juices. Stir and heat through.

   Uses All the peeled cooked prawns · A little of the reserved cooking juices · All the cooked cherry tomato sauce

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Bring a pot of water to the boil for the pasta, add the pasta-water salt and return it to the boil. You can start this while the prawns are cooking.

   Uses Water for cooking the pasta, as needed; save a little before draining · Salt for pasta cooking water, as needed

10. 10

    Step 10: Cook all 400 g fettuccine in the boiling salted water according to the packet until al dente. Save a little of its cooking water before draining; the source gives no fixed reserved volume. Drain and add the pasta to the heated prawn and tomato sauce. Mix well, adding a little of the saved pasta water only if the sauce seems dry.

    Uses The boiling salted water prepared earlier · 400 g fettuccine · The heated prawn and tomato sauce

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Serve immediately, distributing any intact cooked decoration prawns among the plates. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley kept aside earlier and, if desired, the optional pinch of peperoncino flakes (1 pinch).

    Uses The finished mixed pasta and sauce · The chopped parsley held aside for serving · 1 pinch peperoncino flakes, only if desired