This squid ink pasta dish is a coypcat of my favourite dish from Lulu La Delizia, one of the best restaurants in Perth. What I love most about their dish is how it has that rich prawn oil flavour with a touch of sweetness from the red vermouth sauce. Of course, it is best to use fresh squid ink pasta but, of course, you can use store-bought. I bought a new pasta/noodle maker so this was the perfect dish to test it out with.
I like to use prawns with shell on so that we can make the flavourful prawn head oil. However, a shortcut that you could take is to have approx. 100g with shell on and the remainder already de-shelled to save time.
Serves 4 (approx. 554 calories per serve)
Prep time 30 mins
Cook time 30 mins
15-20 large prawns, shell-on
1 tsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 onion, diced finely
100g cherry tomato, quartered
1 tsp salt
50ml red vermouth
400g squid ink pasta
handful of basil leaves (I also substitute with spinach)
Chilli flakes (optional)
De-shell the prawns, reserving the head, tails and shell. Then dice the meat into bite-sized pieces and marinade with the paprika powder and salt and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the prawn oil. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the prawn heads, tails and shells. Fry it on a medium/high heat until they turn red and become fragrant. Then reduce the heat to low and let it infuse for a further 10 minutes. I like to squeeze the oil out of the prawn heads as I’m cooking to make sure more of it comes out.
Drain the shells from the oil with a sieve and ad it back to the pan. Sautee the the reserved prawn pieces and sautee for a few minutes until cooked through and set aside.
In the same pan, add the garlic and onion and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and another tsp of salt and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can start cooking the squid ink pasta in generously salted water according to packet instructions, drain and set aside.
Add the red vermouth and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add back the prawns to heat through. Stir in the basil leaves and the cooked squid ink pasta. Check for seasoning and serve immediately. Sprinkle some chilli flakes if desired.
More Prawn Recipes
- Prawn Hargow
- XO Sauce Prawns with Finger Lime
- Thai Prawn Glass Noodles
- Seafood Boil with Creole Seasoning
- Creamy Garlic Prawn Pasta