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Creamy Italian Prawn Saffron Linguine

This rich, creamy and luxurious prawn saffron linguine pasta recipe is perfect for entertaining and special occasions. Pasta, saffron and seafood are a classic Italian combination which your guests will be so impressed with!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 776 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Italian

Ingredients

  • 400 g linguine (14oz) I used linguine from De Cecco
  • 1 kg Fresh unpeeled prawns (about 2 lbs) or defrosted frozen unpeeled prawns
  • 2-3 spring onions or shallots
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads or powder
  • 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
  • 30 g butter (1oz)
  • 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
  • 200 ml heavy cream (6-7floz)
  • 1 glass water
  • salt for pasta and to taste

Instructions

Preparation
    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the saffron threads into a glass with a couple of tablespoons of warm water. Leave to infuse and melt. Peel and slice the onions. Wash and chop the parsley.
  2. Remove the heads and tails from most of the prawns ( you can leave one per person intact for appearance), peel the prawns keeping just the meat.  Remove the black vein along the back of the peeled prawns.
  3. Put the heads and shells in a saucepan with a glass of water and a teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for a quarter of an hour. Remove the heads and shells, strain the broth into a bowl and add the soaking saffron to it.
  4. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
Cook the sauce
  1. Fry the onions in a frying pan or skillet over a low heat with the butter and some pink pepper corns. Once the onions start to soften  add the saffron broth. Let it boil over a high heat for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat down and add the whole prawns first and cook for a couple of minutes on both sides. Then add the peeled prawns and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
  2. Before adding the cream to the sauce remove the whole unpeeled prawns but keep them warm. Add the heavy cream and mix it into the sauce. Add salt to taste.
Finish the dish
  1. Cook the linguine al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is cooked, save a little of the cooking water and drain. Add the pasta to the sauce. Mix everything together well . If it seems dry add a little pasta cooking water. Remove from the heat and serve immediately sprinkled with chopped parsley and with one whole prawn on each plate .

Notes

  • I used linguine for this recipe but you could also use spaghetti or tagliatelle.

Nutrition Information

Calories 776kcal (39%) Carbohydrates 79g (26%) Protein 49g (98%) Fat 28g (43%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 388mg (129%) Sodium 1487mg (62%) Potassium 577mg (16%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 1521IU (30%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 198mg (20%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 776

% Daily Value*

Calories 776kcal 39%
Carbohydrates 79g 26%
Protein 49g 98%
Fat 28g 43%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 388mg 129%
Sodium 1487mg 62%
Potassium 577mg 12%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 1521IU 30%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 198mg 20%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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