Summer Pasta with Lemony Prawns and Garlic
Simple, fresh ingredients come together to create a pasta that’s perfect for summer dinners. Sweet cherry tomatoes cook down into a light, flavorful sauce with plenty of garlic, fennel, and a splash of white wine, creating the perfect base for tender shrimp. Finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon, this pasta is bright, comforting, and elegant without being fussy. Whether you’re serving it for a weeknight meal or a relaxed dinner with friends, it’s a delicious way to make the most of seasonal tomatoes.
Summer Pasta with Lemony Prawns and Garlic
Ingredients
โ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved (if available)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved if especially large
12 ounces dried linguini or fettuccini
ยฝ cup dry white wine
1ยฝ pounds medium shrimp or prawns (head-on is optional), unpeeled or peeled
Flaky sea salt
1 lemon, halved
Instructions
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Heat the olive oil in the largest skillet or wide, heavy-bottomed pot you have over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fennel slices and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic and fennel are lightly browned and completely tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the fennel seeds and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring to toast a bit. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes nearly all burst and are broken down into a jammy, sauce-y sauce, 10 to 12 minutes (using a wooden spoon or spatula to kind of gently crush them as they cook is a good idea).
eanwhile, the pasta water should be boiling at this point, so go ahead and drop the pasta into the pot, cooking it to a nice al dente (timing will vary depending on pasta, so best to follow instructions on the package). Drain the pasta, reserving about ยฝ cup pasta water.
Add the wine and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by about half, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat, continuing to cook until all the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Since the skillet or pot is likely getting a little crowded, I like to toss my pasta with all of the tomato-y seafood business in the largest bowl I have, adding a bit of pasta water as I toss to keep things saucy. Season with salt, pepper, and more crushed red pepper flakes, if you like.
Transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl.
