I adore mafaldine pasta. With its ruffles, it’s a bit like Christmas ribbons, or vintage lace curtains, or peony flowers, or even a bit frilly like Austin Powers …

Mafaldine goes with both light or meaty sauces, and also with celebrations, which is when I last made this garlic prawn pasta, hence the champagne and sparklers. You could also use a spaghetti with the garlic, seafood, and light sauce, but there’s a great soft-springy mouth-feel to the mafaldine frills that makes this dish so satisfying. Texture is just as important as taste, I think.

Because it was a celebration, a birthday if you must ask, I zhooshed up the pasta with whole prawns and crispy prosciutto, but these are optional extras.

The quality of the prawns is important. I’d recommend tiger or king prawns, which are big and juicy, but it depends where you live, and what you can get fresh. Frozen is fine too, but for my money green prawns are best if they’re frozen IN the shell, literally straight from the sea to you. Sure, you have to then peel them once they’ve defrosted, but it’s worth it, taste-wise. My preference is to defrost in an air-tight container in the fridge overnight rather than worry about cool water brines for quick defrost (this link has notes on thawing, peeling and deveining).

Regarding rinsing after shelling and deveining, there’s a stack of opinion on the internet, so you do you. My personal experience is that rinsing dilutes the prawns’ salty-sea taste. Of course if there’s a bit of muck, you need to, but otherwise careful deveining is enough for me.

“I am not a shrimp. I am a king prawn!”
-Pepe, Muppets in Space

Ingredients

400 g mafaldine pasta
5-6 large prawns per person, depends on size
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
⅔ cup thickened cream
½-1 tsp chilli flakes, depending on how hot you like it
herbs – parsley or thyme
salt, pepper
prosciutto, crisped in oven prior to garnish
parmesan if you want. Some people say no parmesan with seafood, but I think a little is added to the pasta is ok

Instructions

Pre-preparation

Decide whether you want to shell and devein all the prawns, or leave some deveined but with shell and head intact for presentation.
Any left with shell on will need to be cooked in a second pan.
Preparing and storing the prawns in advance makes life easier (links above).
Crisp prosciutto in oven if using.

Pasta and onions/garlic:

Cook pasta according to directions and drain, leaving half a cup of pasta water.
Meantime, in large, deep frying pan, fry onion in olive oil, add garlic and chilli flakes.

When pasta is nearly done or draining:

Throw a splash of wine into the frying pan with the onions and garlic, and then the shelled prawns in one layer. Allow to go pink on one side (approx 2 mins, depending on size of prawn) then turn. Add remainder white wine so prawns finish in wine. Prawns are done when no longer opaque and pink on both sides. Take care not to overcook.
Meantime in a separate non-stick frying pan, cook the unshelled prawns in a tiny bit of olive oil one side at a time until pink (2-3 minutes a side).

Working fast, combine pasta and prawns in frying pan:

Throw the drained pasta and into the pan with the onions, garlic and prawns. Add cream and stir gently so pasta is coated in the sauce. Add a little of the reserved pasta water until sauce thickens to desired texture if necessary.
Season well and add lots of herbs.
For presentation, serve decorated with cooked unshelled prawns and crispy prosciutto.

Hello!

Garlic Prawn Pasta