Garlic Butter Prawn Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 40 g plain flour
• 500 ml whole milk, warmed
• 50 g butter
• 300 g macaroni
• 200 g mature cheddar, grated
• 100 g mozzarella, grated
• 400 g raw peeled prawns
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for prawns and crumbs)
• 75 g panko breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 15 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni for 1 minute less than the packet says. Reserve a mugful of cooking water, then drain.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the paste smells biscuity. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking until smooth, then simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
3. Whisk in the Dijon, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar and mozzarella until glossy. Season with black pepper and enough salt to make the sauce taste complete.
4. Pat the prawns dry and season them. Heat half the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a high heat. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook for 1 minute, then turn, add the sliced garlic and cook for another minute. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded. The prawns should be coral pink and opaque, not tight and rubbery.
5. Add the lemon zest and juice to the prawns, then scrape the prawns and their pan juices into the cheese sauce. Fold in the macaroni, loosening with a splash of pasta water if the sauce feels heavy.
6. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Toss the panko with the remaining olive oil and a pinch of salt, then scatter it evenly over the pasta.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crumb is deep gold and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Rest for 3 minutes so the sauce settles rather than flooding the plate.
8. Finish with the parsley and serve.