Creamy Cajun Prawn Pasta

One of the many perks of moving here is seafood is cheaper, make that wayyyy cheaper than in KL. Actually lots of things are more expensive in KL but I think it's the same with every major cities in the world; higher cost of living.

Some time before my mini emotional breakdown, I got completely excited and happy buying prawns and cod fish. It was unbelievably reasonably priced! And next came the challenge on what to do with my latest purchase. I will make fish & chips with the cod fish but prawns....that was a new challenge for me as I never had the opportunity to use prawns in my dishes back in Malaysia, it was just too expensive.

So what to do, what to do? I came up with the idea of making a pasta dish, why? Well, I love pasta, it's my all time favourite dish and I swear I could eat it everyday for the rest of my life. I posted a picture of this dish on Instagram, Facebook and some requested for the recipe.

Hope you love this dish as much as we did, do let me know if you gave it a go, if you liked it or what changes you made to it. Let's cook!

Ingredients:

(A) 
12 large prawns
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 tbs cajun seasoning; use less if you are not a huge fan of strong spice taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp fresh ground chilli flakes (SKIP this if you cannot take spicy)
1 clove garlic; minced

(B)
1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic; minced
2 pieces sun dried tomatoes; DO NOT rinse the oil

2 cups pasta
2 tomatoes; diced
2 cups baby spinach or vegetable of your choice; kale is a great option

1/4 cup white wine; optional
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste

Freshly grated parmesan for garnish; optional

Cooking method:
1. Mix (A) together and leave it aside in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Cook pasta as per package directions.
3. Fry (B) until fragrant, use medium heat and make sure garlic don't burn.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes soften.
5. Pour white wine into pan and cook until liquid is reduced.
6. Add prawns into pan and cook until prawns are starting to turn pink.
7. Add baby spinach, give it a good stir and then pour cream. Bring it to a low boil.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Drain pasta and add pasta into sauce mixture and mix well.
10. Garnish with parmesan and enjoy!

NOTE:
1. Make sure you take out prawns from the fridge and let it come down to room temperature before cooking.
2. DO NOT overcook prawns as it'll be dry and chewy.
3. You can substitute white wine with chicken/vegetable broth.