A case for spaghetti with garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and prawns

I haven’t posted a recipe on here in a while so I am popping in with something I made when my friend came over the other day with a bag of fresh prawns for lunch.

Something about a recipe for spaghetti with prawns feels nostalgic and simple. It gives mid 2000s energy in the best way. I’m embracing the simplicity because it’s a classic and when done well, a bowl of pasta with more prawns than pasta emulsified and dripping with good olive oil, garlic and chilli is sexy and satisfying.

The high ratio of prawns to pasta and the way the prawns are sliced makes a difference. About 150g prawns to 115g spaghetti per person. I slice the prawns into medium sized chunks and give them a light bashing in a mortar and pestle for texture and bite. When you do this the prawns splay open a little allowing them to take in more flavour and the bowl of spaghetti becomes both aesthetically and texturally cohesive.

Also, creating an infused olive oil (which becomes the base of the sauce) enhances the depth of an otherwise very simple dish. I infuse shallots, a few cloves of garlic, crushed fennel seeds, dried red chilli flakes, flaky salt, lots of black pepper and fish sauce into good extra virgin olive oil, making for a deep and flavourful bowl. If you are able to buy whole prawns (heads and all) this is even better. Doing this will add even more savouriness to the base of your pasta sauce.

This is a quick one, good for sunny days. More to come.

This recipe makes three bowls.

Infuse two shallots sliced in half and four cloves of garlic in 250ml extra virgin olive oil. If you were able to buy head on prawns, slice off the heads and add them to the oil at the same time as you add the shallots. Press down on the heads to release their juices. Once the shallots (and prawn heads if using) are golden and fragrant pull them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and discard. Lightly fry eight cloves of finely sliced garlic and 2 deseeded and finely sliced red chilli in the same oil until the garlic is just lightly coloured. Pull them out of the oil and leave to the side for later. Add two tablespoons crushed fennel seeds, 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper and flaky salt and toast until infused, about 10 minutes. Strain the spices from the oil so you are left only with the now fragrant olive oil.

Clean then roughly chop 500g prawns into small chunks. Using a mortar and pestle lightly bash the prawns down so they splay out a little but are not flat (alternatively you can bang the back of your knife over the prawns). In batches, fry the prawn meat in the infused oil until just cooked, season to taste with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Squeeze over a little lemon juice toward the end of their cooking time. Try not to overcook the prawns - they don’t need long, a couple of minutes should be enough.

Cook 350g spaghetti in boiling water, then toss the cooked pasta into a big light bowl (with starchy pasta water clinging to it). Now for the important part: emulsifying so everything comes together harmoniously with that sexy sheen. Pour the rest of the infused olive oil over the cooked pasta followed by the cooked prawns, garlic, chilli, a handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley, a big cube of butter, a ladle of pasta cooking water, flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Toss together, making waves with the bowl in the air. Emulsifying in a large light bowl like this with a little extra pasta cooking water and a lavish drop of butter is good because there is more room to agitate the starch and fats - transforming it into a glossy, almost creamy sauce that will coat every strand of pasta. Plate and finish each bowl with a little extra olive oil.