Garlic Butter Prawn Spaghetti
Plump prawns tossed with spaghetti in a glossy garlic butter sauce, loosened with starchy cooking water so every strand is coated. A fast, savory one-pot dinner.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Emulsifying · Cooking al dente
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Bring 1.5 l water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat.
~5 min
A rolling boil ensures the pasta cooks evenly and doesn't stick together.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the water heats, peel and finely slice the garlic cloves. Pat the prawns dry with paper towel.
~3 min
-
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Before draining, scoop out and reserve 120 ml of the starchy cooking water. Drain the spaghetti in a colander.
~8 min
Reserving starchy water provides starch that helps the sauce emulsify and cling to the pasta.
Cooking al dente Cook pasta until it is tender but still firm to the bite, usually 1-2 minutes less than package directions. Overcooking makes it mushy and unable to hold sauce.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the spaghetti cooks, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until fragrant and pale gold, about 1 minute. Do not let it brown.
~1 min
Gentle heat prevents garlic from browning, which would turn it bitter and overpower the dish.
Keep the garlic over gentle heat and pull it as soon as it smells sweet; browned garlic turns bitter and will dominate the prawns.
-
Raise the heat to medium, add the prawns to the garlic butter and cook until they turn opaque and pink, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once.
~3 min
Cooking prawns just until opaque ensures they stay tender and juicy, not rubbery.
-
Add the drained spaghetti and 120 ml reserved cooking water to the pan. Toss over medium heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the pasta, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
~1 min
Tossing with starchy water creates an emulsion, making the sauce glossy and coating every strand.
Emulsifying Toss pasta with starchy water over medium heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings. The starch helps bind fat and water; avoid overheating or it may break.