The perfect prawn cocktail but make it a platter
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Looking for something high-impact in terms of taste and looks and low-impact in terms of effort for a dinner party or even a Christmas feast? We GOT you Canberra!
I am a devotee of old-fashioned prawn cocktails. I love the crunch of iceberg lettuce, the salty sweet taste of prawn flesh and the tang of a good cocktail sauce.
I have cute little glass bowls in which to serve individual prawn cocktails but a year or so ago I decided I was abandoning the practice in favour of a massive deconstructed effort I have since labelled the Prawn Cocktail Platter (Trademark pending…)
This is 20 prawns for a family of four
It has been a hit with the family and various table guests over that time and I would never gatekeep. So give this a shot next time you are under pressure to put something delicious on the table. You won’t regret it. Also, just quietly, this is one of the easiest dishes to put together and will be appearing on our Christmas table without a doubt.
The hardest part of this dish is chopping and zesting. In otherwords, not hard at all…
Ingredients
A bag of prawns to cater for your crowd, I usually buy the large fresh Queensland Tigers (still in their shell) and allocate five prawns per person. You cannot use pre-peeled or frozen prawns in this dish because they will be bland and watery and put the glorious history of prawn cocktails to shame! (Note: I always source my prawns and cocktail sauce from Sea Harvest at Fyshwick Markets.)
Try and leave your prawns in the marinade for a good few hours.
An iceberg lettuce
Two firm large avocados
Bunch of chives
Liberal amount of good olive oil
One large red chilli
Juice and zest of two lemons
Fresh minced garlic (we use about five cloves)
Jar of cocktail sauce (or you can make your own combining mayonnaise, tomato sauce, horseradish cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco)
Small tin red caviar if you want to impress
Cheating: I buy the Birch and Waite Creamy Cocktail Seafood Sauce from Sea Harvest and I use half a jar which I then pimp with other ingredients.
(Pro tip on garlic: Next time you are at a market that sells freshly peeled garlic cloves in bulk, grab a bag and throw then in your Magic Bullet until it forms a paste (you may need to add a little water if it is too thick). Spread the past in a thin layer onto a tray lined with baking paper and put it in the freezer. Once hard, grab a container or freezer bag and snap up the garlic sheet into tiny little bits. Keep it in the freezer and any time you require garlic you grab a sliver (or two, three or four) and pop it in. It defrosts within minutes and you get the lovely fresh taste of garlic without all the gunky stuff they put into the tube garlic. But I digress!
Told you this was easy. Ready to assemble
Directions
Make the prawn marinade using a liberal amount of extra virgin olive oil, four cloves (or as much as you want) of crushed garlic, half a red chilli chopped very finely, a tablespoon of finely sliced chives, salt and pepper and the zest of a lemon.
Shell and devein your prawns and let them sit in the marinade for a good few hours.
Save the rest of the prep until five minutes before you want to serve!
Onto a large platter slice up your iceberg. I chop mine up but you could also tear it into chunks, the smaller the better.
The smaller the pieces the easier it is to eat.
Chop your avo into chunks and scatter artfully over the lettuce.
Place your prawns on making sure all the marinade goes on too.
For the pimped up cocktail sauce combine your jarred sauce with the zest of the remaining lemon and the juice of both lemons. Finely slice a bit of your remaining red chilli, add some more crushed garlic, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil. It should be a bit runnier in consistency now, and make sure to taste it to make sure it zings!
Artfully arrange your bits and pieces
Pour the marinade over the top of the lettuce, avo and prawns. Ensure liberal and even coverage. Scatter the rest of the chives (I cut them into longer strips for the garnish) and the final parts of your chilli. If you have caviar, scatter that over too.
Serve fresh with crusty bread and butter. (Given how much garlic and herbs were flying around my kitchen I made a herby garlic butter and it was delicious).
Always be generous with your sauce and toppings! Don’t forget your crusty bread and butter
