Garlic Prawns with Courgette Noodles

Method

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1. Spiralise or julienne the courgettes, toss with the half teaspoon of salt and leave them in a colander for 15 minutes.

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2. Squeeze them gently in a cloth. A surprising amount of water comes out, and all of it would otherwise end up in the pan.

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3. Pat the prawns completely dry.

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4. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and add the garlic and chilli. Cook 2 minutes until the garlic is pale gold — take it off the moment it colours, because it goes bitter in seconds after that.

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5. Turn the heat to high, add the prawns in one layer and cook 90 seconds a side, until just opaque and curled into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked.

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6. Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon zest and juice, the remaining salt and pepper.

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7. Add the courgette and the last tablespoon of oil and toss for 1 minute in the residual heat only. Do not put it back on the hob.

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8. Fold through the parsley and serve at once.

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Chef’s Tips

• Salt and squeeze the courgette. This is the whole difference between a plate of noodles and a puddle.
• A loose C, not a tight O. Prawns go from perfect to rubbery in about thirty seconds.
• Take the pan off the heat before the courgette goes in. Residual heat is all it needs.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold Picpoul or Vinho Verde
• A green salad with plenty of vinegar
• Bread to mop the oil, for anyone not counting carbohydrate

Storage & Reheating

Best immediately; the courgette softens within the hour. The prawns keep 2 days refrigerated and are good cold over a salad, but the assembled dish does not hold.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.