Spicy Prawn Fettucine

Chef: Caston Richards
Course Main Course
Wine Pairing 2017 Merlot, Merlot

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fettucine fresh is always better if it’s available (use about 70% of the weight for dried pasta)
  • 8-12 prawns 16-20 count
  • 16 oz fresh ripe tomatoes of any kind medium to large dice
  • 2 oz olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes
  • 4 oz butter
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 2.5 oz white wine
  • ¼ bunch of parsley rough chop
  • 3 oz Parmigiana Reggiano finely grated
  • Kosher Salt to taste

Notes: This is a play off a dish from one of the restaurants Caston worked in as a chef. It is excellent year-round and the seafood can easily be substituted for whatever is available.

Instructions

PASTA

  • Prepare a large pot of boiling water for cooking pasta. Season water to taste like the ocean. Bring to a boil.
  • If using fresh pasta, cook for 1-3 minutes, tasting often. When pasta is ready, strain and add back to the pot. Stir in a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking and cover with a lid.
  • If using dried pasta, pasta cook until a nice al dente texture is achieved. Al dente simply means to the tooth, so you want to try to catch the pasta just before it gets soft all the way through. When the pasta is ready, strain it and add it back to the pot. Stir in a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking and cover with a lid.

PRAWNS & SAUCE

  • Ensure prawns are cleaned and deshelled.
  • Add olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes to a large, shallow sauté pan and heat on high. Briefly sauté, stirring frequently.
  • Carefully add the prawns and briefly sauté for approx. 30 sec.
  • Add tomatoes and continue sautéing on high heat until the tomatoes start to lose their shape.
  • Deglaze with white wine.
  • Add butter and stir continuously as the butter melts to emulsify the sauce, then remove from heat.
  • Slowly stir in 2/3 of the Parmigiano Reggiano to bind the emulsified sauce. The sauce should have a nice, smooth consistency to it that will lightly coat the pasta. If it appears to be too thin, you can add more butter or more cheese to increase the thickness as needed.
  • Stir in parsley once you have achieved a nice consistency.

TO SERVE

  • Add sauce to the pasta and stir in.
  • Serve with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano (or more!) and fresh cracked black pepper.

Wine Pairings

2017 Merlot