📋Pasta with Zucchini And Fresh Prawns
Pasta with zucchini and prawns is a delicious and healthy one-dish summer meal you can make for family and friends. The zucchini and prawns are cooked with garlic and extra virgin olive oil, no cream no butter.
Servings 5 people
Calories 528kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz fresh prawns
- 4 zucchini
- 3 cloves peeled garlic cloves
- 1 lemon zest
- ½ cup dry white wine
- salt & pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon sea coarser salt for the pasta
Instructions
Prepare the shrimp
- Rinse the prawns thoroughly under cold water to clean them.
- Trim off any long antennae to avoid them breaking into the sauce.
Prepare the sauce
- Slice the zucchini into pieces.
- Cook the zucchini in olive oil until golden and lightly browned, then set aside.
- Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces.
- Sauté the garlic in olive oil to create a fragrant base for the sauce.
- Add the whole prawns (with heads on) to the pan and cook gently on low heat until they turn pink.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of dry white wine, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. If you’re not using wine, a squeeze of lemon juice can be substituted, but never combine both.
- Remove the prawns from the pan once fully pink to prevent overcooking.
- Do not clean the pan
Prepare the pasta
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente.
- Drain the pasta about one minute before it is fully cooked, as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Deveine the prawns
- Peel the prawns, removing the shells and heads if preferred.
- Make a small incision along the back of each prawn with a knife to reveal the digestive tract.
- Using the tip of the knife, lift and remove the dark line (the digestive tract).
Putting it all together
- Return the peeled and deveined prawns and the zucchini back to the pan to warm through in the sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce, tossing everything together thoroughly.
- If the sauce appears dry, add a ladle of starchy pasta water to achieve a creamy texture.
- Finish the dish with freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of lemon zest for brightness and aroma.
- Serve immediately
Video
Notes
- I used the zucchini Trombetta di Albenga but you can use regular zucchini. Just make sure they are thin and do not contain too many seeds.
- Use fresh shrimp or prawns if you can, and if you are following this recipe make sure you use shrimp with head and shell.
- If your prawns are already cleaned, add them directly at the end. The reason I add them at the beginning and then remove them is to get the juices from the shells and heads. If they are already cleaned, there is no purpose in cooking them earlier.
- Prawns should never be overcooked
- Don't overcook theprawns, once they are pink, remove them from the stove
- For best results, use good-quality pasta. I always recommend Garofalo or Rummo
Nutrition
Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 200mg | Sodium: 2031mg | Potassium: 714mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 4mg
