Photography: John Paul Urizar. Styling: Michele Cranston. Photochef: Kathy Knudsen.
This prawn and avocado pasta salad is perfect for balmy evenings, easy entertaining and anyone craving something delicious with minimal effort and maximum flavour. It’ll be on the table in under half an hour.
Are you looking for more pasta salad ideas or prawn salads?
Ingredients
Method
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 6-8 minutes, or until al dente, adding the peas for the last 1 minute of cooking time. Drain, then rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well.
CREAMY HERB DRESSING Meanwhile, combine the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, oil and water in a small blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in the herbs.
Arrange the pasta, peas, spinach, prawns and avocado on a serving platter or in a shallow bowl.
Drizzle with the Creamy Herb Dressing and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with dill to serve.
Prep the salad dressing in advance
To get ahead, make the Creamy Herb Dressing 1-2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Assemble the prawn and avocado pasta salad close to serving.
Ingredients in the prawn and avocado pasta salad
Short pasta: We’ve used fusilli (spiral), but you can use your preferred short pasta shape.
Cooked prawns: Leave cooked shell-on prawns intact until you are ready to eat them. The shell is a natural moisture barrier and the prawns will stay in better condition. Once peeled, consume within 1-2 days. Cooked prawns should never sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Crème fraîche: Very similar to sour cream and can be used similarly, though crème fraîche is made from richer cream and the resulting tang is more mellow. Crème fraîche is made by adding a lactic acid culture to pure cream. It is heat stable and doesn’t curdle in hot mixtures.
How to store cooked prawns
- Store in an airtight container; prawns left loose on a plate absorb fridge odours within hours and dry out quickly. Line the bottom of the container with a sheet of paper towel to absorb any liquid. This stops the prawns sitting in a pool of moisture, which accelerates spoilage.
- Place on bottom shelf, towards the back of the fridge. This is consistently the coldest, most stable zone in most domestic fridges.
- Leave cooked shell-on prawns intact until you are ready to eat them. The shell is a natural moisture barrier and the prawns will stay in better condition.
