Crunchy school prawns with lemon chilli garlic dip
Tiny little school prawns, small enough to eat head and all. Is a great appetiser or snack with excellent crispy shell and tender inside.
Ingredients
800g school prawns
1 cup corn flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1L canola oil for frying
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
1 Birdseye chilli minced
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper
Method
To make the lemon chilli garlic salt pepper dip, place the salt, garlic and chilli in a bowl and mix together. Add the lemon juice and pepper and mix well to combine. Set aside.
Toss the prawns in the corn flour to coat. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Cook the prawns, in batches, for 3–4 minutes or until crispy.
Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle over pinch of salt and pepper. Serve with the lemon chilli garlic salt and pepper dipping sauce. Serves 4–6.
I’ve been turning out alot of prawn dishes lately as they have been the quickest dish to cook with my busy schedule and here’s one to add to your books.
Prawns play a starring role in many of our favourite summer dishes and are available all year round, from serving them simple with zesty marinade to adding them to salads, noodles or pastas; prawns are wonderfully easy and versatile.
I am going to share a recipe that is an adaptation similar to my lovely mum’s dish. This salad base has a twist to the nam jim - it hits all the right notes of sweet, sour and salty with a high punchy kick of heat! In my opinion the dressing, which is the base of the salad plays the most important factor of this dish and also its fresh crisp crunch in each vegetable.
A trip to my local shops resulted in a bag full of wonderful produce and fresh school prawns. I knew right then what I was cooking up that afternoon; it had me heading into memory lane eating this dish on a hot summer days as a little girl.
INGREDIENTS:
200 grams school prawns - peeled
4 long (snake) beans - diagonally slice
2 small french shallots - thinly slice
1 medium carrot - julienne
½ green mango - julienne
2 spring onions - diagonally slice
1 cup cabbage - thinly chopped
Handful mint leaves
handful coriander leaves
½ tspn chilli flakes
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 Lemon - Juice
Fried shallots
1 birdeye chilli - slice
Dressing:
1 tbsp palm sugar
2 garlic cloves
10 chillies
2 coriander leaves
Knob ginger - sliced
1 tspn lemongrass (white part only) - thinly slice
3-4 tbsp fish sauce
1 to 1 ½ lime - juiced
METHOD:
Peel and clean prawns. Add lemon juice to cure prawns for 15 to 20 minutes as we do not want them cooked throughly.
Using a mortar and pestle, gently pound the chillies, shallots, garlic, coriander roots, ginger and lemongrass to bruise them. Don’t turn them into a paste. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Taste dressing and adjust. It should have a good balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot.
Dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. (I add all the ingredients to my mortar and pestle and gently bashed and bruised to release the juices and mix up the flavours).
In a bowl add all chopped and sliced ingredients. After about 15 - 20 minutes drain out and discard liquid from prawns then add prawns into bowl with rest of the ingredients, pour in dressing and lightly toss together. Throw in chilli flakes and roasted peanuts; again gently mix into salad.
Transfer to serving plate, drizzling some dressing from bowl. Topped with few extra mint and coriander leaves and sprinkle with fried shallots, sliced fresh chillies and lemon wedges.
Amazing lunch @watermanslobsterco yesterday! The #clamchowder & fried #schoolprawns were great starters before the stars of the show, the #lobster #rolls. Both versions were equally as delicious (best to get both & share) & complimented by the yummiest #pickle we've had in a long while. Fab #wine & #beer list too. Can't wait to return & try more! #lobsterroll #watermanlobsterco #pottspoint #sydney #seafood #restaurantaustralia (at Waterman's Lobster Co.)
