Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 g dried linguine
- 15 g sea salt
Proteins
- 150 g cured spanish chorizo, sliced into half-moons
- 400 g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
Sauce and Aromatics
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 g red chili flakes
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 400 g crushed canned tomatoes
- 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil at 100°C/212°F. Add the sea salt. The water should taste distinctly salty.
Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, usually 1 minute less than package directions. Reserve 100ml of starchy pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, place the sliced chorizo and olive oil in a cold large skillet. Turn the heat to medium and slowly render the fat until the chorizo edges turn crisp, creating a deep orange oil.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the prawns to the rendered chorizo oil in a single layer. Sear quickly until they just turn pink and opaque, about 1 minute per side. Remove the prawns and chorizo from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic and red chili flakes to the remaining flavored oil in the skillet. Sauté briefly until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds.
Pour the white wine into the skillet to deglaze, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine bubble and reduce by half.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer at around 90°C/195°F. Let the sauce thicken slightly and meld flavors.
Add the drained linguine and 50ml of the reserved pasta water to the tomato sauce. Toss vigorously over low heat until the starchy water and fat emulsify, clinging to the noodles. Add more pasta water if the sauce appears too dry.
Return the resting prawns and chorizo to the pan. Toss gently to combine and warm through. Remove from heat immediately, garnish with the chopped fresh parsley, and serve.
Chef's Notes
- Starting the chorizo in a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly and evenly without burning the spices. This fat becomes the foundational flavor base for the entire dish.
- Removing the prawns before simmering the sauce is crucial. Shellfish continue to cook via residual heat, and returning them only at the end ensures a tender, snappy bite.
- The starchy pasta water is the secret to a restaurant-quality sauce. The starch acts as a binder, turning a split mixture of oil and tomato into a lush, creamy coating.
- When preparing the raw king prawns, save the shells in the freezer. They can be boiled down later with aromatics to make a quick and intensely flavorful seafood stock.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store in an airtight container. Seafood degrades quickly in texture when stored.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Avoid microwaving to prevent rubbery prawns.
