Creamy prawn pasta

Recipe for creamy shrimp pasta with cream and parmesan

Creamy prawn pasta is the ultimate weekend comfort food: rich, velvety and ready in about 30 minutes. Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon give it balance, and the dish is easily made without white wine. This is the easy, delicious pasta with prawns and cream that the whole family comes back to.

The secret behind a creamy garlic prawn pasta is the quality of the prawns. We recommend the juicy, MSC-certified prawns from Coldwater Seafood, folded in at the very end.

Ingredients for creamy prawn pasta

For this creamy shrimp pasta you need the following ingredients (serves 4):

• 400 g pasta (tagliatelle, linguine or penne)
• 300 g prawns from Coldwater Seafood (drained weight)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 250 ml double cream
• 50 g freshly grated parmesan
• Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
• 100 ml white wine (can be left out)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh parsley, salt and pepper

How to make creamy prawn pasta (step by step)

The key to a prawn cream sauce pasta that does not split is low heat.

1. Cook the pasta al dente. Save a cup of pasta water before you drain it.
2. Soften the garlic gently in the oil. Add the white wine if you are using it and let it almost cook away.
3. Turn the heat down and pour in the cream. Let it simmer gently, so it never boils hard.
4. Stir in the parmesan until the sauce is creamy, and season with lemon, salt and pepper.
5. Fold the pasta in together with a little pasta water. Take the pan off the heat and fold your Coldwater Seafood prawns in last, until they are warmed through. Top with parsley.

Variations of creamy prawn pasta

• Pasta with prawns and cream without white wine: replace the wine with vegetable stock and an extra squeeze of lemon juice, and you get an easy creamy prawn pasta that children like too.
• Creamy prawn pasta with tomato: add a tin of chopped tomatoes along with the cream for a rounder, gently sharp sauce. See our prawn pasta for the full tomato version.
• Creamy garlic prawn pasta: turn up the garlic and finish with lemon for an extra aromatic version.
• Garlic cream prawn linguine: use linguine, which holds a cream sauce better than any other shape, and add a pinch of chilli flakes.

Prefer it lighter and without cream? Try our spaghetti with prawns or the quick garlic prawns.

Always choose the blue MSC-labelled Coldwater Seafood products for the best flavour and sustainability.