Garlic Roasted Prawns with Fregola Sarda
A recipe for garlic roasted prawns with fregola sarda made with a homemade prawn stock. This flavour packed dish is a must try for any seafood lovers.
Ingredients
for the prawn fregola
- 12 U10 Prawns
- 95 g carrots (cut from 1 large carrot) peeled and diced
- 46 g celery (cut from 1 large celery stalk) diced
- 90 g brown onions (cut from 1 medium size onion) peeled and diced
- 95 g red peppers (cut from 1 red pepper) diced
- 2 medium tomatoes seeds removed and diced
- 1 clove garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs
- ½ lemon
- 50 g butter
- 230 g fregola sarda
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
for the prawn stock
- 300 g prawn shells and heads
- 1½ l water
- 2 tablespoon paste
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika flakes
- 70 ml white wine
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
for the prawn stock
- Wash the prawn shells and heads under running cold water. Drain the excess water.
- Prepare all vegetables for the fregola sarda and keep the end cuts and leftovers from the carrots, celery, onions, red peppers, garlic and the bit from the tomato with the seeds for the prawn stock.
- Place a medium size pot on high heat. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil and sweat the prawn shells and heads until they turn orange and fragrant.
- Add the vegetable trimmings and cook for a few more minutes. Then add the tomato paste and tomato trimmings. Sweat for 2-3 minutes and deglaze with the white wine.
- Now add the smoked paprika flakes, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper and add about 1½ litre (6⅓ cups) water.
- Simmer the stock for 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf and mix the entire stock base in a kitchen blender for about 1 minute. Strain the prawn stock through a fine sieve and keep warm while you start cooking the fregola.
for the fregola
- In a wide pot heat up 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced vegetables and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add the fregola and then the diced tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add enough prawn stock to cover the fregola and stir well. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes and keep adding more prawn stock whenever required. you want the fregola to be submerged in the stock continuously to ensure the pasta cooks evenly.
- When the fregola has turned al dente (with a bite) add the butter and parsley and adjust the seasoning with salt.
for the prawns
- To clean the prawns carefully remove the head so that the intestinal tract comes out along with it.
- To peel the prawns, with your fingers go along the belly of the prawn and crack the shell open starting from the head, working your way down to the tail. The shell should easily come off, leaving you with just the prawn meat.
- You can clean the prawn entirely or leave the tail part on. If you want to make sure your prawns are perfectly clean, run the knife along the back and take out the black thread like stuff.
- To roast the prawns place a pan on high heat. Add olive oil and sear the prawns on each side for 2 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and thyme sprigs and cook on low heat for another minute tossing the prawns trough the garlic and olive oil. Finish the prawns with a splash of lemon juice.
for plating up
- Serve the fregola in the pan itself with the roasted prawns on the side if it is meant to be shared.
- If plated individually, add the fregola in a bowl and place the prawns on the top. Garnish with herbs.
Notes
AS A NOTE: If you leave the fregola for too long after it has cooked it will soak up all the liquid. Keep some prawn stock on the side in case you are not serving the fregola immediately. To bring back the fregola to a smooth consistency, add the prawn stock and head up again.
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