Prawn Linguine with Chilli Pesto

If there is one single recipe which I have made the most often – my Prawn Linguine with Chilli Pesto (freshly made – of course!) is the one. This has featured as a regular working week evening meal for the past two years yet somehow never made it to Love the Kitchen. The reason? It tends to get gobbled up far too quickly, and is long gone before I have even has time to take the lens cap off. Secondly, this should really be enjoyed hot as soon as it is served and is never as good tepid. Finally, (and this is a running theme since we relocated to our home in Lincolnshire) – I do not have the same natural light I was previously accustomed to, making food photography all the more challenging.
My aim for 2024 is to find a working and repeatable set up and try to do a better job at giving my culinary output the pictures they deserve.

You might be thinking… ‘can I just buy a jar of ready-made pesto, lob in some prawns and… job done‘? The answer is ‘of course’. For me, cooking is not a chore. Food is not just fuel. Working with fresh ingredients, and creating dishes with ingredients I have chosen verses mass-produced in a factory – produces far more satisfying results. Cooking is an enjoyable distraction which gets me away from my sedentary working life, gives me the opportunity to be creative, and use the excellent kitchen kit and caboodle which we have accumulated over the years. We have far more than we need, but I am sure we are not alone… It is also ‘me time’, away from the constant flurry of emails, chat notification and other distractions, and gives me some much-needed headspace to reflect on things which otherwise get bypassed.

Freshly made pesto or store bought?

Making fresh pesto from scratch will not be significantly cheaper than a store bought jar. A 100g bag of fresh basil leaves will set you back £1.60, the combination of cashew nuts, Grana Padana cheese, fresh chilli, garlic and olive oil a further £1.25 or so, but you are not getting sunflower oil, glucose, potato flakes, lactic acid, or garlic flavour which is typically found in commercial products. Add quality raw Tiger King prawns, and quality pasta brings this to ~ £4.00 a head which is ready meal territory in terms of price but something completely unique which has been whipped up in less than 30 mins or so.

Even though I have made this dish over seventy times (and I may be conservative here), it always comes out slightly different in flavour, which really adds to its charm. The heat of the dish will vary significantly, as no two chillis ever seem to be the same. If chilli isn’t for you, then omit, however this is never an option with Marlini as my dining companion ;o) I would also urge you to experiment. When I originally made pesto, I would choose pine nuts until I discovered that cashews were more commonly found in commercial versions. For the cost conscious, it does make a difference. Secondly, I used to use Parmigiano Reggiano but replaced with Grana Padano as the latter is softer, butterier and has a more delicate (less salty flavour) and lower fat than Parmigiano Reggiano. If interested in the difference between these two Italian hard cheeses, this article is well worth a read.

And don’t forget the prawns

Whilst my focus has been very much around making pesto from scratch, and the merits of its ingredients, I cannot overlook the importance of the prawns. Firstly, prawns will need to be defrosted (for directions this post remains, without fail, the most popular post on Love the Kitchen at Christmas year after year). Prawns can vary significantly in terms of texture, size, and flavour, and certainly not an ingredient I would skimp on to find the cheapest. It is also really important not to overcook – otherwise they will become shrivelled, and chewy in texture. The key here is to gently steam the prawns in the pesto, then turn them over. Ensure that they are pink and firm, and no raw grey side. Whilst I do my best to remain brand agnostic, I highly recommend Crown Farms Raw Black Tiger King Prawns. We keep several bags in the freezer by default – they remain the best texture we have ever encountered.

As ever, I really hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as we do, and feel free to share, rate and comment.

Prawn Linguine with Chilli Pesto

Richard Bewley

Prawn Linguine with Chilli Pesto

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2 people

Equipment

• mini blender/ chopper
• large non stick pan

Ingredients

  

Chilli Pesto

• 80 g Grana Padano cheese roughly chopped
• 50 g raw cashews
• 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 3 large Garlic cloves peeled and chopped
• 1-2 red chillis chopped
• 1 tsp Sea Salt flakes
• 80 g Basil leaves stem ends trimmed

Main Dish

• 200 g Raw Tiger King Prawns defrosted
• 250 g Dried linguine pasta

Instructions

 

Chilli Pesto

• Put the Grana Padana cheese and cashews in the mini-processor, and blitz for a few seconds until they have been reduced to smaller crumbs.
  80 g Grana Padano cheese, 50 g raw cashews
• Pour in 2/3 of the olive oil, add the chopped garlic and red chillis and blitz again. You may need to scape the sides of the chopper bowl (I use a small silicone spatula) and mix everything thoroughly.
  3 tbsp olive oil, 1-2 red chillis, 3 large Garlic cloves
• Trim and discard the discoloured ends of the stems. Roughly chop the steps from the head of the basil leaves, blitz and stir. Sometimes the stems will rise above the chopper blades. Open lid, push down with spatula, and blitz again. Add the basil leaves, sea salt, and blitz and stir again until you have a wonderful green paste.
  80 g Basil leaves, 1 tsp Sea Salt flakes

Main Dish

• Bring a large non-stick pan of slightly salted water to the boil, tip in pasta and cook as per instructions.
  250 g Dried linguine pasta
• Once pasta has reached al dente texture, drain in a large colander and rise with plenty of cold water.
• Add 1tbsp olive oil to the large pan, bring to a medium heat, and scoop in the pesto. As it starts to gently bubble, tip in the defrosted raw Tiger King Prawns and regularly stir through for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until prawns are pink and firm in texture. Do make sure that you turn the prawns over to ensure that they are thoroughly cooked on both sides.
  200 g Raw Tiger King Prawns
• With the pesto and prawns gently bubbling, add the cooked pasta, one large handful at a time, and stir thoroughly and continue to add and stir until the pasta is coated with the pesto. Ensure that the pasta is thoroughly warmed through, reduce heat and cover.
• Warm pasta plates with boiling water. Discard, dry, then divide the dish evenly.
• Garnish with the remaining basil leaves (shredded), shaving of Grana Padana cheese (optional), and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Notes

You can of course use any pasta. This also works really well with Spaghetti, Fusilli, Fusilli Bucati, Riccioli – we have tried them all ;o). The reason why we use Linguine more than any other pasta? Simple. Marlini ‘loves Linguine’. Happy wife, happy life… ;o)

We probably make this dish once a week and yet to get bored.

Whilst this recipe suggests 250g of pasta, we cook the whole 500g bag, rinse off the starch in cold water, and store for another dish a few days later. Having cooked pasta on hand makes for a quick and easy lunch. I would suggest taking cold cooked pasta out of the fridge a good hour before starting to cook with it.