#first course

A few years ago when I was still living in Singapore, I posted a recipe for Ravioli with Prawn Bisque Sauce. This is an updated version of that dish using fresh homemade pasta, organic cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs that I picked up at the farmers market. The sauce is still incredibly rich and flavourful, but adding fresh tomatoes instead of cream lightens the dish and allows the sweetness of the prawns shine through. Here I’ve used chervil which has a delicate, aniseed flavour that’s perfect with seafood, but fresh parsley or dill would also work.

What you need

1/2kg or 1lb whole prawns, heads cut off and set aside 1 shallot or small red onion, roughly chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Pinch of chilli flakes Extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper Fettuccine pasta for 4 people Juice of half a lemon Handful of fresh herbs (e.g. chervil, parsley, dill), chopped

What to do

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in pot on medium. Add shallots and sweat for about 10mins until soft.

Turn up heat. Add prawn heads and cook for about 5mins until they turn red.

Pour in wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add tomatoes, lower heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

While prawn sauce is cooking...

If you’re making your own pasta, follow the first 3 steps in this recipe.

Boil pot of water. Add pinch of salt, prawn bodies, and cook for 1-2mins until they curl up and turn red.

Drain prawns and allow to cool. Remove meat from shell and set aside.

After prawn sauce is done...

Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to food processor, blend until smooth, and pour through a fine sieve.

Boil large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add pasta, cook for about 2mins for fresh or 8mins for dry until al dente, and drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in sauté pan on medium. Add garlic and chilli, and cook for about 1min until fragrant. Stir in prawn sauce, and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add pasta and prawn meat to pan, and toss well to coat. Add lemon juice and herbs, remove from heat, and serve immediately.