One of my favourite types of seafood are prawns. They can be prepared and eaten with any part of a meal. For example, a common aperitif at cocktail parties is a prawn cocktail which are essentially shelled, cooked prawns, served with cocktail sauce in a glass. For an appetizer, you can have panko breaded and fried prawns, which have a delightful crunchy taste. They can also be eaten with chips, malt vinegar, or in a sandwich with tartar sauce for a delicious lunch. Last but not least, you can have lemon butter prawns as a part of a meal. They preserve the most of the original prawn’s flavour while adding some accompanying (but not overwhelming) tastes to the palate.
Another great thing about prawns is that they can be eaten in almost any setting. Upmarket party or social event? A prawn cocktail is your friend to impress everyone present. Casual romp with friends at a pub or other outdoor location, perhaps at the harbour? Just like fish and chips, you can have fried prawns and chips with a healthy amount of vinegar and tartar sauce, accompanied by a nice drink. Finally, at any seafood restaurant, some sort of lemon prawns on their own can be a nice thing to order; not quite a main course but not quite a starter either.
However, the recipe we will discuss today are spicy prawn skewers. These particular skewers are grilled rather than fried, and are not breaded. They have a spice mix on top of them which gives them that lip-smacking heat that you want.
In Louisiana and other similar areas in the South of the USA, they prepare prawns similarly. These are called Cajun prawns, for the French-Canadian group that came up with that style of cooking. Other dishes in this manner include shrimp gumbo, shrimp creole, and other such. So, when you take a bite of the delicious, spicy prawns, through teary eyes, remember that that warm feeling you’re getting is, in addition to your tongue burning, the feeling of home.
RECIPE
Serves 2
Ingredients:
10-15 Shrimp
Rub:
3 tbsp salt
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup smoked paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
Baste:
½ stick butter
½ tsp salt
Juice of half a small lemon
1 tsp olive oil
To make the rub, mix 3 tablespoons salt, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup smoked paprika, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp turmeric, and 1 tsp of cinnamon. There will be extra rub depending on how many shrimp you use.
Now, shell your prawns and wash them, put them in a large bowl. Season with the rub we just made. Let sit for 10 minutes. You do not have to use all the rub, season the prawn to taste.
If you are using wood skewers, wet them first so that it does not light on fire on the grill. Skewer the prawns.
We are going to make our baste. Mince 4 cloves of garlic, and put it in a bowl with ½ a stick of butter. Melt it in the microwave. When it comes out add a ½ tsp of salt, the juice of half a small lemon, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Now your baste is done.
Now, put them on the grill for a few minutes and then flip when one side has a nice crust and colour. Now the side that has crust, baste it well. Cook the other side until it has colour, and baste the other side as well. When cooked it should look pink-ish and the colour of the meat should be white.
Take it off the grill and enjoy!
