Fresh Tagliatelle with Prawns and Bisque

A restaurant-style pasta dish you can make at home: fresh tagliatelle coated with a rich prawn bisque, topped with zucchini, tomato concassé, and juicy prawns. Elegant, comforting, and packed with flavour.

Ingredients (per person)

• 80 g fresh tagliatelle

• 10 prawns, with heads and shells

• ½ red pepper (¼ for the bisque, ¼ for the prawns)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 10 g shallot

• 5 g chives, finely chopped

• 2 g parsley

• 2 g lemon zest

• 100 g zucchini

• 2 tomatoes

• Sprinkle paprika powder

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 10 g tomato purée

• 500 ml stock (or make from a stock cube; see Bisque step)

• 100 ml white wine (plus enough for yourself)

• Olive oil, for cooking

• Pinch dried thyme (for the zucchini)

Method

Note: Have all your components prepped. You’ll keep the prawns and zucchini warm in a 90°C oven while you finish the pasta and bisque.

1) Bisque

1. Prep the prawns: Peel the prawns, keeping all heads and shells aside. Remove the intestinal tracts from the prawn meat; chill the cleaned prawns.

2. Aromatics: Finely chop the shallot, garlic, and ¼ red pepper. Warm a splash of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.

3. Sweat & tomato base: Add shallot, garlic, and red pepper; cook until softened. Stir in 10 g tomato purée; fry about 2 minutes to de-raw the purée.

4. Roast the shells: Add parsley plus the prawn heads and shells. Fry, stirring, until the shells turn pink and smell toasty.

5. Deglaze: Pour in 100 ml white wine (pour yourself a glass too). Let the alcohol mostly evaporate.

6. Add stock:

   • If using ready stock, add 500 ml—enough to submerge the shells.

   • If using a stock cube, dissolve it in ~500 ml hot water (you can go up to ~1 L if you prefer more to reduce; you’ll reduce to ¼ volume anyway).

7. Season & reduce: Add a sprinkle of paprika powder, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to a gentle simmer and stir regularly. Reduce slowly to about ¼ of the original liquid (rich and aromatic).

8. Blend & strain: Using a hand blender, blend the shells and liquid until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve, pressing to extract maximum flavor. Transfer the strained bisque to a smaller pan and keep it simmering very gently.

2) Tomato Concassé

1. Bring a pan of well-salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath (cold water + ice).

2. Score shallow crosses on the tops and bottoms of the tomatoes.

3. Blanch for about 2 minutes—skins should start to loosen at the crosses.

4. Transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking.

5. Peel the skins, quarter, and remove the cores.

6. Dice the flesh brunoise (small cubes). Place in a sieve to drain.

3) Zucchini

1. Wash and dice zucchini brunoise.

2. Fry in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown.

3. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of dried thyme.

4. Transfer to a 90°C oven to keep warm (not to cook further).

4) Prawns

1. Finely chop the remaining 2 cloves garlic and ¼ red pepper.

2. Warm olive oil in a pan; briefly fry the garlic and red pepper until fragrant.

3. Add the cleaned prawn meat; fry until almost cooked through (they’ll finish with carryover heat).

4. Transfer prawns to the 90°C oven (with the zucchini) to keep warm.

5) Pasta

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; salt generously (it should taste like the sea).

2. Cook fresh tagliatelle for 3 minutes until al dente.

3. Drain well and toss with a spoonful of hot bisque to coat and prevent sticking.

6) Plating (assemble fast)

1. Ladle ½ a ladle of hot bisque into a warm deep plate; tilt to spread.

2. Spoon on some zucchini and tomato concassé.

3. Twirl the tagliatelle into a neat swirl/mound and place on top.

4. Arrange the prawns attractively over the pasta.

5. Finish with chives and lemon zest. Taste a little bisque at the rim—add a pinch of salt if needed. Serve immediately.

Tips (to help people cook it right)

• Heat control: Keep the bisque at a gentle simmer after straining; don’t boil hard or it can split.

• Timing: Do the concassé and zucchini first, start the bisque, then cook prawns and pasta last for ideal texture.

• Seasoning: The reduction concentrates salt—season lightly early, then adjust at the end.

• Texture check: Bisque should lightly coat the back of a spoon after reducing.