Italy has over 5000 miles of glorious coastline, so it’s easy to understand why seafood or frutti di mare has always held special importance in Italian culinary traditions. With chefs constantly innovating and exploring new ways of preparing their fresh catches, there appears to be no end to the different pairings of seafood with pasta, soup and vegetables. In this collection of delicious Italian recipes we focus on the gambero rosso or red prawn, and the stunningly creative ways our chefs have chosen to incorporate it into their dishes.

Red prawns are a brilliant deep red colour when raw and, unusually, this colour hardly changes during cooking making them a striking addition to a plated dish – particularly, as in the case of Daniele Usai’s fragrant Red prawn, coconut, passion fruit and coriander recipe, if the prawn is served with its shell on. Cristina Bowerman utilises the vibrant colour of the prawn in her Corn chowder recipe, contrasting the bright red against the yellow soup, while the Cerea Brothers usher up the flavours and tastes of the Mediterranean in their recipe of Red prawns with burrata, tomato and basil. Gaetano Trovato throws his net even wider, pairing the sweetness of the red prawn with Cuttlefish and sea lettuce, whereas Daniele Usai’s Benedetto Cavalieri Spaghettone with red prawns and wild fennel recipe showcases the red prawn to its fullest.