Maggie Beer's Prawn Cocktail

• serves 2

• Preparation time:

• Cooking time:

Ingredients

3 roma tomatoes, halved lengthways
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
brandy, for drizzling
1/4cup verjuice (or dry white wine
or water)
a few sprigs dill, plus extra to serve
a few sprigs lemon verbena (optional)
12 medium or 8 large raw king prawns
1/2 iceberg lettuce heart, outer leaves
discarded and heart cut into strips
1/3 cup mayonnaise
(preferably homemade)
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 150C (300F).

2. Place tomatoes, cut-side up on a baking tray, then season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for anywhere between 1–4 hours, depending on the level of moisture of the tomatoes. Drizzle with a little brandy and set aside.

3. Place verjuice and herbs in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add prawns and enough water to just cover, then gently poach over low heat until pink and just cooked through. Remove prawns and leave to cool, then peel and clean, leaving 2 unpeeled to garnish each serve, if desired.

4. Place lettuce in the base of 2 serving glasses, then add half of the mayonnaise, a few roasted tomatoes and top with half of the prawns. Add remaining mayonnaise, tomatoes and prawns. Drizzle with olive oil mixed with the juices from the roasted tomatoes, then scatter with dill or lemon verbena and serve with a wedge of lemon to the side.

Notes