This pasta balances rich cream and Parmesan with fresh lemon and garlic. Cooking the prawns separately first keeps them tender while the sauce reduces.
Cook · Recipe
Creamy Lemon Garlic Prawn Pasta
Prawns and pasta in a bright, creamy lemon-garlic sauce with Parmesan and parsley, ready in about half an hour.
At a glance
Recipe summary
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- Serves 4
- Skill
- Easy
What you need
Ingredients
Metric US Ingredient
225 g 8 oz fettuccine or other pasta
450 g 1 lb large raw prawns Peeled and deveined.
30 ml 2 tbsp olive oil Divided.
30 g 1 oz unsalted butter
4 cloves 4 cloves garlic Finely minced.
120 ml ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
240 ml 1 cup double cream
60 ml ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon 1 lemon finely grated lemon zest
50 g 1¾ oz Parmesan Finely grated, plus extra to serve if wanted.
To taste To taste salt and black pepper
Small handful Small handful fresh parsley Chopped.
How to make it
Method
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the 225 g pasta until al dente, reserving a mugful of pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, heat 15 ml olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the 450 g prawns and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until firm and opaque. Transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 15 ml olive oil and the 30 g butter to the pan, then cook the 4 minced garlic cloves for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the 120 ml stock and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any flavour from the pan.
- Stir in the 240 ml cream, 60 ml lemon juice and lemon zest. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the 50 g Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season with black pepper and only as much salt as needed.
- Return the prawns and drained pasta to the pan. Toss until coated and hot, loosening with a little reserved pasta water if necessary.
- Finish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Useful notes
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Large frying pan
- Colander
- Fine grater or zester
- Tongs or two large spoons
Substitutions
- Use linguine, spaghetti or tagliatelle instead of fettuccine.
- Replace the prawns with bite-sized chicken pieces, cooking them fully before making the sauce.
- Use a vegetarian hard cheese and vegetable stock if preparing a seafood-free version with vegetables.
Allergen notes
- Contains crustaceans, milk and wheat unless suitable alternatives are used.
- Parmesan may contain egg-derived lysozyme; check the label when relevant.
Storage
Seafood pasta is best served immediately. Cool any leftovers promptly, refrigerate for no more than 2 days and reheat once until steaming hot throughout. The cream sauce may thicken, so add a splash of water while reheating.
Tips
- Prawns become rubbery if overcooked, so remove them from the pan as soon as they are firm and opaque.
- Add the lemon zest as well as the juice for brightness without making the sauce overly sharp.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer after adding the cream and cheese.