A light spring day dish that's packed with spices and herbaceous flavour
I'm 100% sure that this dish is delicious because making it was the perfect day. No rush, all ingredients at hand, a fire playlist and good weather. Just the all around good day and the creative freedom to develop this recipe with no pressure. It's a luxury that isn't offered as often with baking, where you can balance flavours until the end of eternity without having to throw the whole dish out.
We've been craving prawns for a while now and I was determined to make this damn delicious without swaying too far away from the classic garlic prawns. The addition of coconut cream instead of regular cream was to lighten the dish and give it that tropical seafood dish feel. As much as I love anything creamy, whether it be prawns or pasta, I don't enjoy the feeling after. The one where you have to drink tea afterwards to clean your pipes lol.
What I loved about the the end result of these prawns and especially the sauce is that it's not loaded with spices to the point of overpowering. If there's one thing that I've come to enjoy with cooking, it's relying on a protein or vegetable's flavour and adding to that rather than dousing it in marinade and spices. I hope my fellow brown people don't gun me saying that haha.
Instead, the coconut sauce's flavour develops more as you eat and you don't get it all at once. Subtle, but does the job in creating a harmonious balance. As much as I like garlic, I'll be the one to say that there is such a thing as too much. Now roasted garlic, that's a whole other situation who deserves all the praise and there's never too much. Anyway.
Another thing that elevated the taste of this sauce compared to a regular garlic sauce is adding a few prawn heads. We know those heads are packed with flavour so what better way to bridge the gap between prawns and sauce than to use it both ways.
Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe and if you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram!
Ingredients:
20 queen prawns
1 tbsp grated lemongrass (substitute: 1 tsp lemon zest)
1 tsp fresh chilli, chopped (substitute: 1/2 tsp chilli powder)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp seafood spice/paprika
1 tbsp chopped parsley and coriander
salt and pepper
150g butter, melted
for the sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can coconut cream
6 cloves garlic
3 prawn heads
1 tsp fresh chilli, grated
1-2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
salt/Aromat to taste
pepper to taste
Method:
Butterfly the prawns and devein them. If you're unsure on how to do that, watch this video
Melt your butter and add the lemongrass, chilli, garlic, herbs, seafood spice, salt and pepper
Using a pastry brush, coat the prawn meat with a layer of the marinade. Use whatever is left on the brush to coat the outer shell.
Continue to do the rest and leave aside while you make the sauce.
For the sauce, add oil and 1 tbsp butter to a sauce pan. Add garlic, chillies and prawn heads and let it simmer until fragrant. Make sure not to let the garlic burn and cook on a low heat.
After about 5 minutes, add your coconut cream, lemon juice and remaining butter.
Cook for about 10 minutes and add your salt and pepper to taste.
Play around with small additions of each ingredients until it's to a balance of your liking.
Once the sauce is done, remove from the heat
Pour the sauce through strainer and press the softened garlic through to extract the flavour.
Once you have a smooth sauce, you can leave it as is or return to a saucepan to reduce further for a thicker sauce. Keep stirring and keep and eye that it doesn't cook over.
When you're done with the sauce, add some oil to a pan just enough to coat it.
Fry the prawns cut-side down. Once you see the outer edge of the prawns change colour from grey to pink, flip it over and fry the other side for another 30 seconds.
Plate up your prawns, drizzle the sauce over and enjoy!
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