Linguine with Prawns & Mussels 

Styling: Anita Parise
Blog: Anita Parise with Renee Lenzarini
Photography: Anita Parise 
Recipe & Inspiration: The warmer Perth temperatures and GR Clubber requests 

Anita: “Hi Clubbers! What a mild start to spring we’ve had. I for one am really missing the Perth sunshine and can’t wait for this cooler weather to be gone, and for Summer to arrive!

As per usual, Renee and I have been chatting about future recipes and let me tell you … you are in for a real treat! We will be showcasing some of WA’s finest produce over the next couple of months and are super excited with the recipes we have come up with.”

Renee: “We have been asked lately how we would prepare one of the classic Italian pasta sauces. And linguine and seafood truly are a match made in heaven. To be honest, my preference when it comes to seafood and pasta is a white sauce – in bianco – so we will also be preparing such a recipe in the next week.

For me, when making a marinara sauce, one of the crucial ingredients is wine. Crisp whites such as Pinot Grigio or a Sav Blanc are ideal, however soft reds can also be used if you prefer a vino rosso.  Anita will also mention later on, the hot topic of cheese and seafood. Cheese can undoubtedly overpower seafood but the key is always about finding the right balance. And I’m with Anita on this one … it’s an emphatic ‘Yes’ from me …”

Anita: “This particular recipe is one that I often make for my husband, who (like me), LOVES seafood and a good sugo: Linguini Marinara. Although this recipe is not a ‘traditional’ marinara per se – as we have opted for our personal favourites – you can swap out the quantities and add your more traditional seafood mix. There really is no limitation on what you put in, the only rule I have is how you cook it. You can have the finest seafood and it be ruined by the way it is prepared and cooked. Timing is crucial as seafood cooks at different temperatures and rates. I like to pick seafood that only takes literally a few minutes to cook through.

The other crucial point I am going to make is about the sauce. Everybody loves a good sauce and it’s important that the sauce is reduced well before you add the seafood to it. Usually when I make sauce, I make a HUGE pot of it, so I have some that I can freeze and use whenever I need a quick meal on the table. For this recipe, again it does depend on your preference with how much sauce you like in your pasta. Personally, I love lots of sauce so at the end I can use the mussel shells to scoop up all that saucy goodness!

There is however a bone of contention when it comes to seafood pasta … to cheese or not to cheese. Traditionally cheese is frowned upon when you are eating any pasta with seafood. HOWEVER… it is a personal preference and if you like cheese I say ‘why not’! Whoever invented lobster mornay was clearly not concerned about this rule, so neither are we!

We really hope you enjoy this recipe as it is one of my favourites to cook and eat!”

Ciao for now and Buon Appetito!

Anita, Renee and the GR Team

Ingredients

  • 500g of GR Linguini
  • 1Ltr of GR sugo – which can be purchased in store in 500ml tubs
  • A generous swig of olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut roughly
  • 2 x hot chillies, finely sliced
  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatos, halved
  • 500g of Raw Australian Prawns with tails on from Catalano’s Seafood in Morley
  • 1kg of Live Austalian Mussels from Catalano’s Seafood in Morley
  • 200ml dry rose` – I used Laurence of Margaret River Rose as it’s one of my favourites!
  • A large bunch of parsley, chopped roughly
  • A pinch of salt and pepper

Method

  • Place a large pot of salted water on to boil.
  • Firstly, prepare the seafood. De beard the mussles and clean and defrost the prawns by placing them in some water. Set these aside.
  • Next, roughly chop the garlic and finely slice the chillies.
  • Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and lastly, roughly chop the parsley. Set all ingredients aside.
  • By this stage the pot of water should be boiling. Add the linguini and cook until just al dente - you want the linguine to be just under cooked as you will be tossing it thought the seafood at the end which will continue the cooking process.
  • Next, heat a large deep skillet over a moderate flame and place the olive oil in the pan. Once heated, add the garlic and chilli and cook until soft. Take care not to burn the garlic – you only want this just softened to avoid a bitter taste.
  • Now it’s time to add the rose`. Cook this until it starts to bubble and the alcohol evaporates. If you are keen and know how, you can flambe this by tilting the pan slightly so it sets alight. Please only try this if you are experienced in this method.
  • Add the tomato sugo and cook for about 5 minutes over a low heat to combine the wine, garlic and chilli. Pop in the pinch of salt and pepper. And add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
  • You can now add the seafood to the pan. Remember to add the seafood type that takes longer to cook first. As the mussels and prawns take roughly the same amount of time, I added them together - to be on the safe side, I would recommend adding the mussels first as no one likes an over cooked prawn!
  • Once the seafood is added to the pan, stir well and cover with the lid so the mussels can steam open - discard any mussels that do not open as they might not be good for consumption. You will know when the sauce is ready as the mussels will be open and the prawns will change in colour from translucent to a gorgeous orange colour.
  • Combine the pasta with the sauce and toss well. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley and serve immediately.
  • Traditionally seafood is not served with cheese, however this is a personal preference. Both of us enjoy the combination so it is a yes from us!
  • Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli with cocoa & walnuts

    Recipe Inspiration:  The flavours and recipes of Thanksgiving Blog: Short and sweet from Renée Hello clubbers, Our final recipe of the year is an unexpected combination of pumpkin, chocolate and spice that is very, very nice. With a bittersweet taste and …

    Start Creating
TRADING HOURS EASTER WEEK / Monday to Thursday 7.30am-5pm / Closed: Good Friday 29th March / Open: Saturday 30th March 7.30am-1pm / Closed: Easter Sunday 31st March & Easter Monday 1st April