Prawn cocktail
Done right, a prawn cocktail is a beautiful Christmas starter - and John Torode's the man to show you how.
Ingredients
- lemon juice, to taste
- malt vinegar, to taste
- 20 x raw tiger prawns, shells on
- 1 Little Gem lettuce
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked
- cayenne pepper, to serve
For the sauce
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tbsp tomato ketchup
- few drops Tabasco sauce
- 2 pinches smoked paprika
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp double cream
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a squeeze of lemon and glug of vinegar. Add the whole prawns and cook until they rise to the surface. Drain and chill in ice-cold water.
Peel the cooled prawns, leaving one prawn whole per serving (for the garnish).
Cut the little Little Gem lettuce in half and place in ice-cold water to crisp it up.
For the sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients together.
To assemble the cocktails, drain the lettuce and pat dry with kitchen paper. Arrange two-thirds of the leaves in martini glasses or small bowls.
Shred the remaining leaves and add to a mixing bowl. Add the peeled prawns and spoonful of sauce. Top with the unpeeled prawn and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.
Recipe Tips
This prawn cocktail can be made a few hours in advance and refrigerated.