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Words by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi. Photo by Helen Cathcart.
This is restaurant Pierluigi’s twist on the classic Spaghetti Ajo e Ojo. Plump pink scampi are tossed with lemon zest and mint leaves to create a joy to look at and a delight to eat. If you can, try to find whole prawns with their heads still on; the flavour with be far superior to those without.
Craving more authentic Italian recipes like this perfected carbonara? Discover a world of Roman culinary delights in our Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi’s ‘Recipes from Rome’ cookbook. Delve into the secrets of Rome’s finest dishes and bring the taste of Italy into your kitchen.
Spaghetti Ojo: Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil, Prawns, Lemon and Mint
Ingredients
- 360 g 121/2 oz raw shell-on tiger prawns
- 320 g 111/2 oz spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons white wine
- 25 g 1 oz salted butter
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, including thin stalks
- Few mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- fine salt
Instructions
- Peel the shells off the prawns but leave the heads intact: the flavour lies within. Use the pointed tip of a small knife to remove the black vein from the backs of the prawns.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.
- Halfway through the cooking time for the spaghetti, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium- high heat and sauté the prawns and garlic for around 5 minutes or until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through.
- Add the wine and allow to reduce for a few minutes. Add the butter and stir through.
- Drain the spaghetti and toss it in the pan with the herbs and lemon zest to combine with the sauce.
Recipes from Rome by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi (Hardie Grant, £18.99), Photography © Helen Cathcart