Dragoncello – The much cooler, Italian name for Tarragon – is an herb with narrow, pointed, gray-green leaves, and a distinctive anise or licorice flavor. It pairs beautifully with seafood, fruits, poultry, eggs and most vegetables, as well as sauces, such as the one we use here.
Mixed in a marinade of fresh orange and lemon, garlic, Italian parsley, and red pepper flakes, this dish has just the right amount of spicy and sweet. If you’re not a fan of spice, you can certainly limit, or even omit the red pepper flakes. If you are in the opposite camp (like my husband), feel free to add to taste.
When selecting prawns, look for jumbo, uncooked, cleaned and deveined. I purchased these at my local co-op, but most grocery stores with a decent meat counter should carry them.
The cool thing about this recipe is how utterly simple it is to make while still looking like a gourmet dish. Minus marinade time (30 minutes), it only takes about 3-5 minutes of cooking time total.
Serve hot, garnished with fresh tarragon sprigs and orange slices like pictured, or as a topping for greens or pasta. If you do decide to use this with pasta, toss in a splash of white wine with the shrimp while they cook, then toss the sauce and pasta together to thoroughly coat.
Bon Appétit!
- 24 jumbo prawns, cleaned and deveined with tails left on
- 1/4 extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp. for frying
- Juice and zest of 2 oranges
- Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 Tbsp. fresh French tarragon leaves
- 1 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
- 1 clove fresh crushed garlic
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- A few sprigs of tarragon to garnish
- Orange slices for garnish
- Combine olive oil, juice and zest of oranges and lemon, garlic, tarragon, parsley and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine and add in your prawns.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil and cook the shrimp on high heat for 3-5 minutes, turning once halfway. Spoon marinade over shrimp while cooking to keep them moist.
- Serve hot, garnished with fresh tarragon sprigs and orange slices.