Pistachio and Prawn Pasta Tropea style
Pasta alla Tropea
I discovered this pasta on a recent trip to Calabria – so simple, so summery and so delicious. As the weather heats up this is a perfect way to combine prawns with pasta with very little fuss
Ingredients
Serves 4
500g of spaghetti
24 large green king prawns, peeled and deveined
500g shelled pistachios (purchased roasted and salted)
1 1/2 cups of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ cup of chopped fresh parsley
Rind of 1 lemon
Extra olive oil (if needed)
Method
Marinate the peeled green prawns in ½ cup of olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes, parsley and lemon rind. Set aside in fridge
Coarsely grind the pistachios in a food processor and gradually add 1 cup of olive oil until a lovely pesto consistency results (i.e. part smooth and part crunchy)
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in salted water and save 1 cup of pasta water before draining
While pasta is cooking quickly fry the prawns until opaque . This should only take a few minutes depending on the size of the prawns
Now combine the pasta with the pistachio pesto and add the cup of pasta water to emulsify with the pesto. You can always add a little extra olive oil if the sauce is a bit dry
Dish out the pasta and add 5 to 6 prawns per person
How easy is that?