How to cook Colm O'Gorman's linguine with king prawns, garden peas and lemon

A carbonara style sauce is quick and easy to make for his recipe

We had some king prawns in the fridge, so I decided to make a quick pasta dish using those and the peas and the eggs we had been gifted.

We were visiting my in-laws in Tyrone recently and were sent home laden with farm fresh eggs, and some beautiful just-picked cherry tomatoes and garden peas still in their pods. It was a fairly long drive home, and by the time we got back, we were very hungry, but I was not in the mood to spend much time in the kitchen. That said, I was very eager to use the bounty we had brought back with us. We had some king prawns in the fridge, so I decided to make a quick pasta dish using those and the peas and the eggs we had been gifted.

A carbonara style sauce seemed like a solid plan as it would be quick and easy to make. I decided to add lemon to complement the prawns, and I finished it off with fresh mint and a little thinly-sliced red chilli.

I adore fresh garden peas, so much so that I usually end up eating at least a quarter of whatever I have in front of me directly from their pods before I even cook the rest. You never see them in the shops much anymore, but they are easy to grow at home if you have the space in your garden. I will definitely be planting some in our own garden next year. If you cannot get hold of any fresh garden peas, then frozen will work quite well in this recipe.

We ate the rest of the eggs for breakfast the next day. I ‘boiled’ them in my air fryer and we had them with some toasted sourdough bread. Yes, you read that correctly, I cook ‘boiled’ eggs in my air fryer. It is a foolproof way to get perfect eggs without the faff of a pan and boiling water etc. Just pop the eggs directly in the basket of your air fryer and cook them at 140 Celsius for nine minutes for perfectly jammy boiled eggs. For soft boiled eggs, cook them for seven to eight minutes, and for hard boiled, cook for eleven to twelve minutes. Pop them into an egg cup and crack them open right away to stop them from cooking any further and you are assured of perfectly-cooked boiled eggs every time.

Now, back to the pasta.

Linguine with king prawns, garden peas and lemon

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

If you cannot get hold of any fresh garden peas, then frozen will work quite well in this recipe.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g dried linguine

• Splash of olive oil

• 1 plump clove of garlic

• 180g raw king prawns

• 150g garden peas

• 2 egg yolks

• 75g parmesan cheese

• 1 lemon

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Fresh mint leaves and a little red chilli to garnish

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the dried linguine, reduce to a simmer, and cook according to the instructions on the packet, until the pasta is just cooked but retains a little bite, about eight to nine minutes should do it.

2. Zest and juice the lemon. Grate the parmesan cheese. Peel and mince the garlic.

3. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl along with some freshly ground black pepper. Add the grated parmesan and the lemon zest to the eggs and mix to combine.

4. When the pasta has about five minutes left to cook, heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook for one minute and then add the king prawns and the garden peas. Cook for another three to four minutes, until the prawns are pink and perfectly cooked. Make sure to stir the pan regularly to turn the prawns and ensure that they cook evenly. Do take care not to overcook the prawns or they will lose all their lovely juicy, delicate flavour. Add the lemon juice in the last minute of cooking and then remove from the heat and move on to finish the sauce.

5. By now the pasta will be almost cooked. Take a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and add that to the egg and cheese mixture. Whisk it to combine it well.

6. Drain the pasta, reserving just a little more of the cooking water in case you need it to thin the sauce. Pop the pasta back in the pan. Do not return the pan to the heat, instead finish the dish off the heat or you will scramble the eggs when you add the sauce. Add the prawns and peas to the pasta and pour over the egg and cheese mixture. Using a large fork or tongs, lift the pasta and mix it with the sauce so that everything is well combined and coated in sauce. The sauce will thicken nicely but not scramble; this will only take a minute or two. If you think the sauce is a little thick, add a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water from the pasta and mix that through.

7. And that is it, you are ready to serve. Divide the pasta between four warm plates or pasta bowls and top it with some fresh mint and thinly-sliced red chilli. Serve immediately with a simple green salad and some fresh crusty bread.