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Garlic Prawn Date Night Pasta

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Calories: 935kcal
Servings: 2 People
Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

  • 250 g Linguine or Spaghetti
  • 300 g Prawns Peeled & Deveined
  • 20 g Unsalted Butter Divided
  • 15 ml Olive Oil
  • 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
  • 0.5 g Chilli Flakes Optional
  • 125 ml Chicken Stock
  • 125 ml Thickened Cream
  • 25 g Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
  • ½ Lemon Zest & Juice
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste
  • Flat Leaf Parsley To Serve
  • Extra Chilli Flakes
  • Parmigiano Reggiano To Serve

Method

  • Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve around 1 cup of the pasta water.
  • While the pasta cooks, pat the prawns dry and season with salt and pepper. Place a large pan over high heat and add the olive oil and half the butter. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook for around 1 minute per side, until just pink and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the remaining butter to the same pan. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the stock and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add the cream and Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix well and simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, until glossy. Season to taste.
  • Add the drained pasta straight into the sauce with the prawns, any resting juices and ⅔ of the flat-leaf parsley (optional) and toss to coat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce is silky and clings to the pasta. Cook for 1 minute. If using, you can add some lemon zest here too.
  • Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped parsley, extra chilli flakes, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Dig in.
Chef's Tips
Cook the prawns in a single layer without crowding the pan — overcrowding drops the pan's heat and steams them instead of searing, and prawns go rubbery fast if they're not cooked hot and quick.
Pull the prawns out as soon as they're just pink, even if it feels early — they'll get a few more seconds of residual heat when folded back through the hot sauce at the end, so slightly undercooking at this stage prevents them turning tough later.
Add the lemon zest off the heat, right at the end, as written — cooking it directly in the hot sauce mutes the brightness that's the whole point of adding it.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Not recommended for freezing — both the cream sauce and the prawns lose texture badly once frozen and thawed.
To reheat, warm gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of cream, stock, or reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, stirring often. Be careful not to overheat, as the prawns will turn rubbery if cooked further — a brief warm-through is all they need.
Serving 450gCalories 935kcalCarbohydrates 96gProtein 45.7gFat 41gSaturated Fat 21gTrans Fat 1.8gCholesterol 250mgSodium 442mgFiber 7.4gSugar 5.6g