Spice-dusted grilled prawns with cocktail sauce
- Serves:
- 4
If there’s a healthier way to start a meal, we haven’t found it. Prawns derive about 80 per cent of their kilojoules from protein, making them one of the leanest sources of that belly-filling, metabolism-revving macro-nutrient. And by cooking them in their shells, you protect them from direct heat, yielding some of the juiciest morsels you’ll ever eat. A dusting of spices, a fiery homemade cocktail sauce, a few grilled lemon halves and cold beers all around make for a lean start to a killer barbecue.
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
24 medium prawns (unshelled)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Juice from half a lemon, plus halved lemons for grilling
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
1 tsp Asian chilli sauce
2 tsp mixed spices (1 tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp mustard powder)
Ingredients
2 cups water1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
24 medium prawns (unshelled)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Juice from half a lemon, plus halved lemons for grilling
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
1 tsp Asian chilli sauce
2 tsp mixed spices (1 tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp mustard powder)
Method
1 Combine the water, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat gently until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let the brine cool completely and then add a cup of ice to further chill the mix. Add the prawns to the brine and let them soak for 30 minutes (any longer and they’ll be too salty) before cooking.
2 Meanwhile, combine the tomato sauce, lemon juice, horseradish and chilli sauce. Taste and adjust the spiciness to your preference.
3 Preheat a barbecue (or grill pan) on high. Drain the prawns and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Season them with the spice mix and add them to the barbecue along with the halved lemons. Cook the prawns until the shells are lightly browned and the meat just turns pink; about two minutes on each side. Cook the lemons until grate marks appear. To serve, set out the prawns and grilled lemons on a platter with the cocktail sauce alongside. Place an empty bowl on the table for the shells.Notes
500kJ per serve
