Spicy Prawn Aglio E Olio

July 01

One of the most popular recipes on my youtube channel is Spaghetti Aglio E Olio. A slick of oily sautéed garlic forms the sauce and like many of the classic pasta recipes, it is its simplicity that makes it so attractive and rewarding to make. Here it’s made all the more crave worthy with the addition of plump prawns and a gun shot of spice in the form of chilli flakes. If you have fresh chilli, finely slice and add as optional extra heat.

Serves 4
20mins

Method

1. Marinade the prawns in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of chopped garlic and lemon zest, for 5-10 minutes.
2. Boil a large pot of water and cook spaghetti until al dente.
3. In a large pan on medium, add 3-4 tbsp olive oil, the remaining chopped garlic, chilli flakes and anchovies. Bring the heat slowly up until the garlic sizzles and turn lightly golden and the anchovies have dissolved. Stir regularly.
4. Heat another pan on a high heat and cook the marinated shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until pink and slightly browned. Once cooked, add lemon juice and toss through, cooking for a minute or so more.
5. Using tongs, transfer the cooked spaghetti directly to the pan with olive oil and garlic, then toss in the shrimp with all the lemony pan juices and stir through vigorously until completely combined. If necessary, add some of the pasta water to loosen up and season generously with salt & pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

180z spaghetti

18oz fresh prawns, shelled and deveined

4-5 tbsp olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tsp chilli flakes (or more if you can handle it!)

3 anchovies

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil, to garnish

500g spaghetti

500g fresh prawns, shelled and deveined