Zucchini and prawns are just perfect together: these delicate and summery flavours are matched to perfection to create a dish that can be made in about 15 minutes and still impress your guests. And if you’re home alone for lunch, don’t settle for the usual sandwich, but treat yourself to something nice, you deserve it!
My zucchini came from the Brisbane City Farmer’s Market, while the prawns are from a shop in Brisbane West End called George’s Seafood Westend, which I chose because they have a stall at Westend Markets and because they are nice to the customers (unfortunately Brisbane doesn’t have any awesome fish market and I’m still researching what’s the best way to get seafood here), leave a comment with a suggestion if you know a good place that sells great seafood!
Ingredients (to serve about 2)
– about 180 gr of fusilli (or different shape of pasta, but short shapes are recommended for this recipe)
– about 150 gr of zucchini, diced
– about 150 gr of prawns, raw
– about 3 full tablespoons of cream
– about 3 full tablespoons of extra vergin olive oil
– 1 clove of garlic
– salt, pepper and parsley to taste
Steps
1. Prepare the water for the pasta: have a sauce pan with 1.5lt of water on the heat. While you wait for it to boil, proceed with the next steps.
2. You need to trifolare* your zucchini: put a large fry-pan on a medium heat and pour in the olive oil, then add the clove of garlic cut in half.
*trifolare= to cook something finely chopped, in olive oil and garlic
3. When the garlic starts to get a light golden colour add the zucchini and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini for about three minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon. After three minutes add the prawns. Keep stirring often. Cook for five more minutes or until the prawns are cooked (they go pink when ready), turn the heat off and put aside.
4. Is the pasta water boiling? (You want big bubbles) Add a generous pinch of rock salt and wait a few seconds for it to dissolve. Now Add the pasta, stir, and check the pasta packet for the cooking time. Set your timer for one minute less (the fusilli I used have a cooking time of 10 minutes, I set my timer for 9)
5. When it’s time, quickly get the pasta off the heat, drain it and pour it into the pan with the prawns and zucchini. Turn the heat on on low and mix well the pasta with the sauce, add the cream and keep stirring for three to five minutes, according to how long the cream needs to thicken. Turn the heat off: your pasta is ready! If you like, sprinkle some fresh parsley on top.
Tips&Tricks
Some of you might feel tempted to use more garlic or more herbs: don’t. If you do that, you won’t be able to taste the prawns, and you might as well eat garlic by itself. I also suggest you don’t use Parmigiano on top, as aged cheese doesn’t go well with seafood.
Aseafood dish will go well with a glass of wine, my picks are Passerina or Verdicchio.