Killer Prawns

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22 October 2019 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: Serves 6 as a starter, or more as a pass-around

Here’s a summery way with prawns … that’s presuming you like a bit of punch with your seafood. Easy too.

Ingredients

750g (generous 1½ lbs) Australian prawns (banana or Mooloolaba king prawns),or premium prawns in your area 2 mild to medium red chillies, thickly sliced 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds 6 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped Pared rind of 1 lemon 2 Tbsp oil (go on, use olive oil!) 1 Tbsp juice squeezed from grated ginger Flaky sea salt Lime wedges to serve

Method

PLEASE read up about prawns. I say it every time I put a recipe on Shared Kitchen: a cheap prawn is most likely a bad prawn (there are no bargains to be had when buying prawns). In my part of the world, that means buy Aussie – they have fantastic prawns.

1 If prawns are frozen, thaw them quickly in a sealed plastic bag immersed in a sink of warm water. Twist off the prawn heads, then peel off shells, leaving the small piece of shell on the tail intact. You can then remove the vein. Using a small sharp knife, slit down the back of each prawn and gently extract the red or black vein. Rinse prawns and pat dry with paper towels.

2 Put prawns in a bowl with chillies, coriander seeds, lime leaves, lemon rind, 1 tablespoon of oil, ginger juice and a few pinches of sea salt. Toss well and leave flavours to meld for 15 minutes (cover prawns with a food umbrella or upturned plate).

3 Heat a medium-large frying pan (skillet) over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When oil is hot, add prawns, or as many as will fit without overlapping, and cook quickly until lightly golden and pretty much cooked through (Ha! I’m sure you can understand the subtlety there; an overcooked prawn is no one’s friend). If the pan seems dry, splash with a little oil. Give a final toss to ensure everything is coated with the flavourings, then tip prawns and all the bits and bobs onto plates or onto a serving platter, scatter with a few lime wedges, serve individual plates,  or encourage everyone to dig in.

Marinate the prawns for 15 minutes.