Pan-fried Prawns with Sugar Snaps
Introduction
Serves: Serves 4 as a starter (or 2 as a main with rice or noodles)
Ingredients
100g (3½ oz) sugar snaps (or snow peas), stringed and shredded
24 premium prawns (I use sea caught Australian prawns)
1 hot green chilli, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Finely grated zest 1 lemon (I use a zester rather than a grater)
¼ tsp fennel seeds
Flaky sea salt
Lemon wedges to serve
Method
1 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). If you live in my part of the world, buy Aussie – they have fantastic prawns (banana, Mooloolaba).
2 If prawns are frozen, thaw them quickly in a sealed plastic bag immersed in a sink of warm water. To remove the shells, twist off the prawn heads, then peel off shells. You can leave a few prawns intact as a garnish if you like. Remove the vein from the shelled prawns by slitting down the back of each prawn with a small sharp knife and gently extracting the red or black vein. Rinse prawns and pat dry with paper towels. Put prawns in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil and toss together.
3 Heat a medium frying pan (skillet) over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the snow peas and fennel seeds and stir constantly for 1 minute. Transfer immediately to a bowl with all the bits and season with a little sea salt.
4 Reheat pan. Give prawns another toss in the oil, then add to pan. Cook quickly until golden on both sides. If the pan is dry, add a wee splash of oil, then add garlic, chilli and lemon zest and fry for a few minutes, tossing often, until garlic is just starting to colour. Dish prawns onto a plate with all the tasty scrapings (reserve any whole prawns for the top). Pile the sugar snaps on top, crowning with any whole prawns, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.