The weather was glorious this weekend and I spent most of it on or near the water. I had been fishing for a Mullet, Bass… Even a small flatfish! But I had not been lucky enough this time. The day ended with me scurrying over the salt marsh collecting some of the best eating sea vegetables there are. Least they couldn’t escape me!! I had a recipe in mind but it wasn’t made with what turned out to be the perfect ingredient, instead I was going to use Crab or Lobster. Lucky for me the fishmonger’s was closed and I had to settle for what ended up being the perfect ingredient, Prawns!
I am not lucky enough to have any Italian friends who live in the UK, but if I did I would love them to tell me their thoughts on this incredibly anglicised version of a seafood pasta.
Pasta with Marsh Samphire and Prawns
Ingredients:
250g Mafalda Corta (but any pasta will do)
150g of King Prawns
Good handful of Marsh Samphire
10 Cherry Tomatoes
4 Shallots
1 Lemon
Fresh Horseradish Root (Dried Chilli Flakes if you haven’t got Horseradish)
Tbsp Crème Fraiche
Small glass of White Wine
2 Chicken Stock Tubes
Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper
From the Garden:
Small bunch of Dill
Firstly, get a saucepan of boiling water on the go add two stock tubes to the water and add a little salt. Whilst this is beginning to boil take a frying pan and add a good glug of Olive Oil, get a heat under it. Peel and finely slice your Shallots and add them to the hot Olive Oil with a little pinch of Salt, fry on a low heat until sweet and soft.
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Meanwhile slice your Cherry Tomatoes, chop your Dill (including a really finely slicing the top ends of the Dill stems) and wash your Samphire. Always wash Samphire at the last minute as it really does not like Freshwater and will not keep long once washed – a final tip is to dry it in a salad spinner as it is prone to holding onto to much water. Prepare your Samphire by removing any root ends that may be tough in the final dish.
Place your pasta in the now boiling water.
Ok, now dependent on how long your pasta takes to cook to Al Dente (mine took eight or nine minutes) this is how long you have to prepare your dish. Turn the heat up under the onions and add the Tomatoes. Fry for a minute or so and then add the wine and the juice of half a lemon. Once reduced taste it and see if it needs anymore Lemon, if it does simply add it. Grate in a good amount of the raw peeled Horseradish root.
3 minutes until plate’ing you should now add your Samphire to the frying pan, stir it in and then drain your now cooked Pasta. Check the seasoning of the sauce and then add the Dill, Crème Fraiche and the cooked Prawns, all you want to do is re-heat the Prawns not cook them again. Once the Prawns are warm add the pasta to the sauce and stir in main sure the ingredients and the sauce are nicely distributed through the pasta.
Serve immediately with shavings of Parmesan Cheese (I know its Seafood, but its not fish and the sauce can certainly take it) and a little more Olive Oil.
Stunning! An Italian dish, with an English accent. Sweet Prawns, ozoney Samphire a Lemony wine sauce with the cutting green flavour of Dill cleaning it all up on the palette.
Lovely!
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