Southern-fried prawns

You’ll usually find the addictive, Southern-style coating that I’ve used here on chicken. The size of prawns you choose will depend on availability and your budget, so just adjust the number of prawns you serve per person – if you can only find small, headless prawns, serve them as ‘popcorn’ prawns.

SERVES 6 PREP 10 mins plus chilling COOK 10 mins MORE EFFORT

sun lower oil, for deep-frying 1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves picked, to serve

1 lemon, zested (optional) and cut into wedges to serve

For the prawns

100ml buttermilk

tsp garlic granules

1 tsp ground ginger

18 jumbo raw prawns, head left on, tails peeled, butter lied For the coating

100g plain lour

1 tbsp corn lour

tsp each cayenne pepper, dried thyme and ground coriander 50g corn lakes, crushed to ine crumbs 1 To prepare the prawns, mix the buttermilk, garlic granules and ground ginger together in a bowl. Add the prawns and stir to coat, then chill for at least 30 mins or overnight. Meanwhile, make the coating by combining all of the ingredients with a pinch of salt in a shallow dish. Set aside.

2 Allow any excess buttermilk marinade to drip o the prawns, then dip in the coating mixture, turning to ensure an even covering. Heat a deep-fat fryer no more than a third full with oil to 180C. Or, heat the oil to a depth of 10cm in a pan until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden in 30 seconds. Carefully lower 3-4 prawns into the oil at a time and deep-fry for 2 mins, or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper using a slotted spoon, then season and sprinkle with the coriander leaves and lemon zest, if you like. Serve with the hot gumbo dip (see right) and the lemon wedges for squeezing over.

PER SERVING 243 kcals • fat 11g • saturates 1g • carbs 24g • sugars 2g • ibre 1g • protein 12g • salt 1g

Hot gumbo dip

Serve this smoky, chunky veg dip with my Southern-fried prawns.

SERVES 6 PREP 20 mins plus cooling COOK 30 mins EASY

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp smoked paprika

tsp cayenne pepper

1 green pepper, inely chopped

1/2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 100ml chicken or vegetable stock 1 bay leaf

4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

1 Heat the oil in a frying pan and sizzle the onion for 10-15 mins. Add the garlic, spices and green pepper and fry for 1 min more.

2 Tip in the tomatoes, stock and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until thick. Season and stir in the spring onions. Leave to cool before serving. Will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 70 kcals • fat 4g • saturates none • carbs 6g • sugars 5g • ibre 2g • protein 2g • salt 0.1g