White-wine prawn linguine with golden prawns in a white bowl
Posted on by Jimmy Thew

White-Wine Prawn Linguine

This was a proper last-minute supper: no cream, no lemon and only garlic granules. I made the sauce from shell stock, white wine and butter, and it turned out so well that it’s going in the regular rotation.

SERVES 2 generous · PREP 10 min · COOK 15 min

Ingredients

  • 200 g dried linguine
  • 250–300 g raw peeled prawns (or raw shell-on prawns)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 30 g cold butter, cubed
  • 100 ml dry white wine
  • 100 ml fish or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes, to taste
  • ¼ tsp dried dill and ¼ tsp sumac (optional)
  • Black pepper; chopped parsley if available
  • A mug of reserved pasta water
Prawn linguine sauce simmering gently in a saucepan
The white-wine stock and butter sauce coming together.

Method

  1. Get ready: pat the prawns completely dry. If shell-on, remove the heads/shells and make stock by gently simmering them in water for 10 minutes; strain carefully. Keep all ingredients beside the hob.
  2. I boil a large pan of water. Salt it, add the linguine and stir immediately to separate. Set a timer for 1 minute less than the packet says. Put an empty mug by the colander.
  3. I heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the prawns in one layer for about 60–90 seconds per side until pink, opaque and just firm. Move to a plate; do not leave them in the pan.
  4. I turn the heat down to medium. Add garlic granules and chilli; stir for 15 seconds. Pour in the wine carefully and let it bubble until reduced by roughly two-thirds, about 2–3 minutes.
  5. I add 100 ml strained stock and simmer 2–3 minutes. The liquid should taste concentrated, not watery. If salty, loosen with a splash of water rather than more salt.
  6. Before draining the pasta, scoop out a mug of starchy cooking water. Add the nearly cooked linguine to the sauce with 2–3 tbsp pasta water; toss for 45–60 seconds until shiny. Turn the heat LOW. Stir in cold butter one cube at a time. Put the
  7. prawns back in for 30–60 seconds to heat through. Add more pasta water a spoonful at a time until sauce coats the strands.
  8. Finish with black pepper, optional dill and sumac, and parsley if you have it. Taste before salting. Serve immediately while the sauce is glossy.
The white-wine prawn linguine tossed together in the cast iron frying pan with stainless steel tongs
The linguine and prawns tossed through the reduced wine, shell stock and butter in my cast-iron pan, 25 October 2026.
Finished white-wine prawn linguine in a white bowl with golden prawns and glossy sauce
The actual finished supper from 25 October 2026 — no cream, no lemon, and only garlic granules.