Feast of Seven Fishes: Try The Recipe For Bavette and Prawns

Fish No. 4

The second pasta dish in our Feast of Seven Fishes spread combines roasted leeks and spicy tomato sauce with fresh bavette. Throw in some fierce-looking tiger prawns and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous noodle bowl that’s a feast all on its own.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. fettucine or linguine pasta
1 lb. prawns, head-on if possible
1 pt cherry tomatoes
1 ea. shallot, julienned
2 ea. garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 cup olive oil
1 ea. chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp sambal chili paste
1 ea. leek, cut into coins and washed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:
Preheat the oven on high broil.  Place the leek rings on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush with just a bit of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and broil (approximately 5-6 inches away from the heating element) for 4-5 minutes, or until the leek rings become slightly charred. Remove from the oven and reserve warm.
Sautée the shallots and garlic in the olive oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until they have turned translucent.
Add the chicken bouillon cube, wine, and tomatoes to the shallot mixture, and continue cooking over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down and formed a sauce-like consistency. Add in the chile paste and reserve warm.
In a large pot, boil the fettuccine in salted water until it is al dente.  Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato and shallot mix along with the prawns and leeks.  Cook all of this together for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until the prawns are cooked through (the shells will take on a vibrant pinkish-orange color and the flesh will lose all of its transparency).
Finish the dish with the chopped parsley and basil, and season to taste.