Читать книгу Great Family Food - Kevin Dundon - Страница 46

16 Dublin Bay prawns (langoustines)

1 bay leaf

5 lemon wedges

1 small head of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

freshly snipped chives, to garnish

Marie-Rose Sauce:

150ml/5fl oz/²/₃ cup mayonnaise

4 tsp tomato ketchup

pinch of paprika, plus extra for dusting

dash of Tabasco sauce

30ml/1fl oz brandy

1 To prepare the sauce, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and paprika together until well combined. Stir in the Tabasco and brandy to suit your own taste. Proceed with caution with the Tabasco, as it can give excessive heat to the dish. Cover the bowl and store the sauce in the refrigerator until required—it will sit there happily for a couple of days.

2 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Prepare the prawns by cracking them at the base and pulling off the tail and the shell as far as the head. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the middle of the outside vein and pull out the dark coloured vein. Alternatively, ask your friendly fishmonger to do this for you. I like to leave the head on, as it gives a nice finished look to the cocktail.

3 Add the bay leaf and a wedge of lemon to the boiling water and plunge in the prawns. The water will immediately cool down, so you must allow it to come back to the boil again. Once it reboils, cook the prawns for 60-90 seconds, or until they are firm to the touch.

4 Have a large bowl of iced water standing by. When the prawns are cooked, plunge them into the iced water for 4-5 minutes to cool them rapidly and prevent them overcooking. The boiled water in which you cooked the prawns can be chilled and/or frozen and used as a simple fish stock for other recipes.

5 Serve in large martini glasses for a bit of fun. Mix the shredded lettuce with the thinly sliced shallots and arrange it at the bottom of the bowl or glasses. Put four of the prawns on top of the lettuce (hanging slightly overboard) and add a large dollop of the chilled sauce on top. Dust with a little additional paprika and garnish with the remaining lemon wedges and fresh chives.