Garlic Butter Prawn Linguine
- Savory
- Quick
- Italian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Plump prawns in a garlicky butter and white wine sauce, tossed with linguine and finished with fresh parsley. A bright, not spicy pasta that feels celebratory but comes together fast.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Cooking al dente · Reducing
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with 1 tsp salt, and add the linguine. Cook until al dente, about 9 minutes, then reserve 100 ml of the cooking water and drain the rest.
~9 min
Salting the water seasons the pasta from within, and the starchy cooking water later helps the sauce cling to every strand.
Cooking al dente Bite a strand a minute before the packet time; it should be tender with a slight firmness at the centre, never soft and floppy.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the linguine cooks, peel and finely chop the garlic and finely chop the parsley. Pat the prawns dry and season with the black pepper.
~4 min
Drying the prawns removes surface moisture so they sear and turn pink rather than steaming in their own liquid.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the linguine cooks, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant and pale gold, about 1 minute. Do not let it brown.
~1 min
Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter once browned, so pull it off the heat while it is still pale gold and fragrant.
-
Add the prawns to the pan and cook until they turn pink and opaque, about 3 minutes, turning once. Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
~5 min
Simmering the wine cooks off its sharp alcohol and concentrates the flavour, while the prawns stay tender if not overcooked.
Reducing Let the wine bubble steadily until it has halved and no longer smells sharp; a gentle simmer concentrates flavour without scorching.
-
Lower the heat, add the butter and 100 ml of the reserved cooking water, and stir until the sauce is glossy and coats the pan.
~2 min
Stirring butter into the starchy water creates an emulsion, giving a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta instead of splitting.
-
Add the drained linguine and most of the parsley to the pan and toss until every strand is coated. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve topped with the remaining parsley.
~2 min
