Farfalle Pasta with Prawns and Orange
The combination of farfalle (bow-tie) pasta with orange infused prawns, fennel and almonds makes this a very elegant looking and delicious dish which your guests are going to love!
Servings: 4
Calories: 590kcal
Ingredients
For the Prawns:
- 12 Large prawns fresh or frozen, heads and shells removed but tails left on, one prawn kept whole for decoration
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 organic orange zested and juiced
- 1 pinch fennel greens or fresh dill
For the Pasta and Sauce:
- 14.1 oz farfalle pasta or another short pasta of your choice
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 fennel bulb outer layer removed, finely chopped
- ½ glass white wine
- 1 bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 organic orange sliced
- salt for pasta water and to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 handful almonds optional
Instructions
Prepare the Prawn Marinade:
- In a small bowl, combine the prawns with half of the orange zest, orange juice, a dash of olive oil, and some fennel greens. Cover and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
Prepare the Almonds (optional):
- In a sauté pan, add the almonds and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until they begin to brown. Once browned, transfer them to a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Set aside.
Prepare the Pasta and Sauce:
- In a large frying pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until it starts to brown slightly. Add chopped fennel and cook until softened.
- Add the prawns, cooking each side for a few minutes until browned. Add white wine and half the chopped parsley; increase heat and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
- Stir in the remaining marinade and continue cooking for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. Season with salt if needed.
- While the sauce cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, allow the water to return to a boil, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the pasta to the sauce, mixing gently over low heat. If dry, add reserved pasta cooking water to adjust consistency.
- Turn off the heat, stir in minced almonds (if used), orange slices, parsley and season with black pepper.
- Serve sprinkled with a pinch of the remaining orange zest.
Notes
Pasta: I made this farfalle pasta with prawns and orange recipe with ridged farfalle (bow-tie pasta) from La Molisana. But you can also use normal farfalle or another short pasta. I think penne would work very well.
Prawns or Shrimp: You can substitute prawns with shrimps or use a mix of both. However, unpeeled precooked shrimps (or prawns) need very little cooking and so the dish wouldn't be as flavorful. If you do use precooked seafood, I would suggest marinating it for longer so it absorbs more of the orange flavor and to reduce the cooking time.
Orange Zest Tip: When grating the orange, avoid including the white pith beneath the skin; it can add a bitter flavor to the dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 769mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1480IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 3mg