Sunday, February 9, 2014

Meyer Lemon Butter Sauce Prawns with Linguine

Meyer lemons, thought to be a cross between Eureka or Lisbon lemons and mandarin oranges, are only available for a few months at the beginning of the year. They work well in both sweet and savory dishes, especially seafood.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you know that last year, for the very first time, I found myself living somewhere I can buy Meyer lemons.  I brought a bag of six home and spent a great deal of time creating recipes that would let them play an important role. After all, they were not cheap. And, to reiterate, I only had six. This dish was one of our favorites and it’s just perfect for today’s Sunday Supper Valentine Recipes for Two theme.

Ingredients
1 lb or about 450g prawns or shrimp, cleaned and peeled
Sea salt
1 Meyer lemon
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 shallots
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Olive oil
2/3 cup or 155ml dry white wine
1//2 cup or 120ml cream
7 oz or 200g linguine
Generous handful arugula (rocket) or fresh spinach

Method
Thinly slice half of your Meyer lemon.  Juice the other half and set the juice aside.



Split each prawn in two down the middle with a sharp knife and give them a light sprinkle with sea salt.


Mince the shallots and garlic.

In a large non-stick skillet, pan-fry the lemon slices over a medium heat in a drizzle of olive oil.



When the slices are nicely browned, removed them from the pan and set aside. Add in two tablespoons of the butter and let it melt and sizzle.

Now toss in the prawn halves and cook them until they are all curly and just pink through.


Remove them from the pan and set them on the browned Meyer lemon slices.


Add in the last two tablespoons of butter, then the minced shallots and garlic. Turn the fire down and sauté them until they are soft and translucent.



Meanwhile put water on to boil for the linguine.

Add the wine and lemon juice to the shallots and garlic, along with the cherry tomatoes.  Stir well.

 Cook until all of the liquid has almost evaporated, keeping an eye on it and stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile put your linguine in the boiling water with a teaspoon or two of salt. Cook according to package instructions but set your timer for about one minute less than the prescribed time. When the linguine is almost done, toss in the greens, allow them to wilt.


Drain the whole pot through a colander.  Set aside.


When the shallot/garlic pan is almost dry, add the prawns and Meyer lemon slices back into the pan. Give it a good stir.



Pour in your cream and stir again.

Season with some extra salt and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.


Divide your pasta into two bowls and then share the creamy, lemony butter sauce with prawns over the top.


Enjoy!


If you are looking for special Valentine’s Day inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got dishes for two galore today!  Many thanks to our host this week, Susan from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen, who just happens to have the perfect red Valentine kitchen.

Alluring Appetizers:
Exquisite Entrees:
Decadent Desserts and Drinks:


19 comments :

  1. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that the stores in my area carried meyer lemons. Now I see them every year at this time. I have some in the fridge and I can't wait to make this dish with them.

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  2. That looks absolutely amazing. Whomever gets to eat this meal for Valentine's Day is very lucky!

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  3. Stacy, oh my goodness. . gorgeous gorgeous dish!!! I could eat an entire plate of this linguine!! pasta is my weakness and love the meyer lemon butter sauce . . oh my gawd!!

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  4. Wow! Just perfect! I love the meyer lemon butter sauce! This is a great meal, I need to make this pronto!!

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  5. Oooh, what an amazing combination of flavors! Perfect for Valentine's Day!

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  6. You and me and the Meyer lemons....lemon love!

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  7. I love that sauce! What a beautifully fresh and fragrant dish!

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  8. Thank you, Nichole. It was tasty too!

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  9. Slurp, slurp, gone!! Love the added cherry tomatoes for a pop of color, gorgeous dish!!

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  10. I recently discovered I love arugula and I've never wilted it with pasta before. I'll have to try it. I can imagine the flavor of the arugula infusing into the pasta.

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  11. What a fabulous dish for two Stacy! Loving this pasta dish!!

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  12. Great idea for a delicious romantic meal for two! :-)

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  13. It's so amazing how easy you make a complicated dish look - and so delicious too!

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  14. Not complicated at all, Kelli! Really. I didn't even have to try to make it look easy.

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  15. I usually keep a pack of it in the refrigerator for salads or for wilting, DB, because it seems to stay fresh longer than baby spinach. I can't say that the flavor transfers to the pasta since they are together in the pot such a short time, but it definitely adds to the finished dish.

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  16. This looks like one of those simple recipes that packs a punch. Really liking the sautéed lemon - although I'd have to use a boring normal one.

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