Barbecued prawns

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to the fundamentals of cooking

Mcan take the heat and flames.

To prepare your in-the-shell prawns for the barbecue, run a sharp knife down the back to cut into the flesh and remove the intestinal tract. It’s not a deal-breaker to leave it in, but if this thin tube is black, it means it’s full and can be a bit gritty.

Toss the prawns in some good rapeseed oil and a generous amount of rock salt. The rapeseed oil gives an amazing depth of flavour and it has a high flash point for a hot barbecue. The rock salt will create a lovely salty crunch coating on the prawns.

Grill your prawns till they turn a beautiful red that is slightly charred. This should only take 4 minutes, depending on the heat of the barbecue. Check by pulling the head off one — the meat should be white, and not translucent. Served with a lime wedge, barbecued prawns are simple and amazing. If you want to fancy it up a little, you could try this Moorish-style butter, which adds a level of heat, flavour and crunch to wow your guests. ost fishmongers stock prawns, but — to many people’s surprise — you’re often better off buying frozen. They are frozen just after being caught and therefore remain in the best condition. If you’d rather the fresh variety, you can find the same ones that we use in Lotts & Co in Dublin 4.

When buying prawns, they should look moist and plump. As with all good fish, they should never smell fishy. Just ask for permission before sticking your head into the fish counter for a good sniff.

For barbecuing, I like a grade of wild gamba — a Mediterranean prawn — called 30/40. This simply means you get 30-40 units per kilogramme. They have good firm meat that stands up to barbecuing.

For your barbecue, the most important thing to attain is white heat! This is when the coals have turned white and are at their hottest.

The great thing about prawns is that, thanks to the shell, they are very forgiving and