This Prawn Aglio e Olio recipe is a delicious garlic chilli prawn pasta that is quick and easy to make and perfect for a midweek dinner.
This is one of my favourite midweek store cupboard recipes. I say store cupboard because I always have frozen prawns in my freezer ready to use and the rest of the ingredients are usually lurking in my pantry or fridge.
It is quick and easy to make and full of delicious fresh flavours. I never order prawn pasta in a restaurant any more because I love this one at home so much that I am always disappointed when I order out!
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Ingredients for shrimp aglio olio
Obviously you will need shrimp/prawns, garlic (aglio) and olive oil (olio) to make this garlic prawn spaghetti dish.
Here's a full list of what you will need. As there are only a few ingredients, quality is everything. Go for fresh and best quality.
Exact quantities are shown in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Large raw prawns - aka shrimp if you are from North America. I have these in my freezer at all times. They are shelled, de-headed and de-veined and ready to go. This makes them cheaper than buying whole prawns and also easier to use, as you can just defrost and go.
- Garlic - the aglio in aglio e olio. Don't shy away from using lots of garlic. It is intended to be the main flavour of the dish. Just don't sit too close to anyone on the bus in the morning!
- Extra Virgin Olive oil - the olio in aglio e olio.
- Cherry Tomatoes - try to use nice sweet ripe tomatoes. On the vine if you can.
- Rocket/Aragula - I love the fresh flavour rocket gives to this dish. Sometimes I substitute for baby spinach. If using baby spinach, allow the leaves to wilt before serving.
- Chilli flakes
- Lemon juice - from a freshly squeezed lemon
- Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper - to season the prawns.
- Spaghetti - you can substitute for another type of pasta (linguine works well) but my favourite is spaghetti for this dish.
How to make Aglio Olio with Prawns
Timing is everything with this prawn spaghetti dish as you want to make sure that your spaghetti is cooked at the same time as everything else and it all comes together at the end.
So before you start, make sure that all your ingredients are prepared:
- Rinse and pat the prawns dry. Put them in a bowl with the seasoning.
- Finely chop the garlic (you can use a garlic crusher but I prefer to chop it by hand with a knife).
- Slice the tomatoes in half.
Start by bringing a pan of water to the boil and adding in the spaghetti. Cooking the rest of the dish should only take as long as it takes to cook the spaghetti.
Start by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan and searing the prawns until they are pink through and lightly browned (they should only take 1-2 minutes each side). Set them aside.
Lower the heat and add the remaining olive oil, then toss in the garlic. Cook and stir until the garlic reaches a light-golden brown colour.
Now stir in the tomatoes and the chilli flakes and cook for a couple of minutes more for the tomatoes to soften slightly.
By now the spaghetti should be cooked. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan and give it a quick stir to mix.
Now stir in the seared prawns and the rocket, squeeze over the lemon juice and stir everything together until the spaghetti is well coated with olive oil.
Serve it with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
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Prawn Aglio e Olio
Ingredients
- 250 g / ½lb large raw prawns
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 250 g / ½lb spaghetti
- 6 cloves garlic
- 6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 75 g cherry tomatoes around 10 tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes or to taste
- 50 g rocket/aragula a couple of large handfuls
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Rinse the prawns and pat dry. Add to a bowl and toss with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic crusher). Set aside.
- Chop tomatoes in half and set aside.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the prawns and sear on each side until pink through and lightly browned (around 1-2 minutes each side should be enough). Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Lower the heat and add the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss in the garlic and cook gently, stirring often, until it is a light golden brown colour.
- Stir in the tomatoes and the chilli flakes and cook for two more minutes to allow the tomatoes to soften.
- As soon as the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the pan. Give it a quick stir to coat the spaghetti.
- Now add the prawns and the rocket to the pan and squeeze over the lemon juice. Stir to mix until the spaghetti is well coated in olive oil.
- Serve with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
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