Coconut crusted prawns with tostada, refried beans, salsa and pickled onions

SERVES FOUR INGREDIENTS

2 red onions, 1 thinly sliced, 1 roughly chopped

2 limes (or oranges or lemons) 4 peeled garlic cloves, left whole 2 large soft tortillas, cut into roughly 20 small triangles Sunflower or vegetable oil, for cooking and deep-frying 200g tinned tomatoes (kept over from Friday’s recipe)

Chilli flakes or powder, to taste 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 tsp paprika

1 x 400g tin black or kidney beans, or use dried, soaked and cooked

50g panko breadcrumbs or dry breadcrumbs

50g desiccated coconut 100g self-raising flour, or plain flour combined with 1 tsp baking powder

20 prawns, defrosted if frozen, patted dry with kitchen paper Hot sauce, to serve

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

Boil the sliced red onion in just enough water to cover in a small pan over a high heat for two minutes, then drain. Mix the sliced onion with the juice of half a lime (or orange or lemon) and a pinch of salt and leave to one side.

In a dry frying pan over a high heat, or using the grill on high, dry-cook or char the roughly chopped onion and the whole garlic cloves for eight to 10 minutes, or until lightly charred and soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Slip the skins from the garlic.

Toss the tortilla wedges in a tablespoon of oil and spread in a single layer on a flat baking tray. Roast in the oven for five minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Coarsely blend the charred onion and garlic with the tinned tomatoes. Stir in the juice of half a lime, the chilli and add salt to taste. Put the salsa in a bowl and set aside to serve.

Add the cumin and paprika to the beans and season to taste, then mash with a fork or blend to a coarse purée. Place in a small pan over a moderate heat and warm through a little. Keep warm to serve.

For the prawns, mix the breadcrumbs and the coconut in a wide bowl.

Heat 3-5cm of oil in a deep-sided saucepan to 180C.

Mix the flour with a teaspoon of salt and 120ml cold water to form a thick batter. Stir in the prawns, mixing well to coat.

Dip the prawns four or five at a time in the breadcrumbs and coconut, then fry for two minutes on each side, flipping them gently in the boiling oil with a slotted metal spoon until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper while frying the rest of the prawns in batches.

To serve, smear the beans on the tostada, add a prawn, a dollop of salsa, squeeze of lime, the pickled onions and a dash of hot sauce to taste.