I am all for quick and simple dishes - the freshest and best ingredients need little in my experience to shine. This recipe, a highly adaptable one I should add, comes from Rick Stein's Food Heroes:another helping. It is adaptable as the crayfish (he recommends fresh water crayfish which are abundant in the UK's rivers) can be substituted with langoustines, lobster or large prawns.
Linguine with Crayfish - serves 2
- 225g (8oz) cooked freshwater crayfish tail meat
- 225g (8oz) dired linguine
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 tomatoes skinned, seeded and finely chopped
- 50ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
- 2-3 tablespoons double cream
- 1 small bunch of basil torn into small pieces
- salt and pepper
Cook the linguine for 8-9 minutes until al dente. Fry the garlic in the olive oil, add the tomatoes, white wine and some seasoning, Cook 4-5 minutes until the liquids have reduced a little. Add the crayfish, the cream and simmer for a minute until the crayfish is warmed through. Add the basil, check the seasoning, and toss into the drained pasta.
A note on the wine - I tend to use unoaked wines in cooking. Those heavily oaked chardonnays can add oak/woody flavours so I generally go for Italian whites or cheaper wines from the South of France. Sauvignon Blanc works well too.
[Photo Andrew Barrow]
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