Italian · Authentic-ish Italian
Linguine ai Gamberi
509 kcal a serving, against 613 for the traditional version. That is 104 kcal off, or 17%, with 36.9g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Dried linguine tossed in a pan with plenty of olive oil, sliced garlic, red chilli, fresh cherry tomatoes and a modest amount of prawns. A splash of dry white wine deglazes the pan, and flat-leaf parsley finishes it off.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of olive oil down to 25g
That missing oil removes nearly 315 kcal from the pan. You don't need it for flavour when you have garlic, wine and blistered tomatoes doing the heavy lifting.
What it costs you. The oil gives the traditional sauce a thick, glossy texture that clings easily to the pasta. You have to work harder with the starchy pasta water and the crushed tomato juices to build an emulsion here.
300g of raw prawns up to 500g
Prawns are roughly 20% protein. Throwing 500g of them into the pan drastically raises the density of the meal, turning a carb-heavy plate into something highly satisfying.
What it costs you. Prawns are expensive. This turns a cheap midweek dinner into something you might save for the weekend or a special occasion.
400g of dried pasta down to 320g
With 500g of prawns taking up physical space in the bowl, you can drop the pasta by 20g a head and no one will notice the difference.
What it costs you. Very little. The massive pile of seafood easily makes up for the missing strands of linguine.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 613 | 509 |
| Protein | 29.2g | 36.9g |
| Fat | 17.1g | 8.4g |
| Saturated fat | 2.5g | 1.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 80.1g | 66.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.8g | 7.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Italian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, crustaceans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This is a vast improvement on the restaurant standard. You get a massive hit of seafood in every mouthful, rather than hunting through a mountain of pasta for the last prawn. The sauce is bright, sharp and clings perfectly if you work the pasta water hard enough.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Italian, along with 59 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.