Paper bag prawns with sherry, chilli & garlic
We all like the idea of ‘prawns on the barbie’, but unless you’re cooking lobster-sized prawns, barbecuing them straight on the grill is a pain. Here, I’ve made things a lot easier and locked in all the flavour by cooking the prawns in a parcel. This means they all cook at once and it works with whatever size prawns you have. I’ve kept the recipe pescatarian, but for a surf-andturf vibe, you could add some sliced chorizo to the parcels.
SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins MORE EFFORT
100g butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, sliced 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika 80ml dry sherry
600g extra-large raw tiger prawns,
peeled and deveined
1 lemon, halved
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves
picked and chopped crusty bread, to serve
1 Light the barbecue. Meanwhile, put the butter, olive oil, garlic, chilli, paprika and sherry in a small pan set over a high heat. Season well and bubble for 2 mins.
2 Put a square 45cm sheet of foil shiny-side down on a work surface. Lay an equal-sized sheet of baking parchment on top, then fold the foil and parchment in half together, with the foil on the outer side. Seal at the shorter sides by folding the edges over a few times and pressing them firmly. Spoon the prawns into the parcel through the open top and pour in the melted butter mixture. Fold the parcel edges together along the open top to seal it fully.
3 When the coals of the barbecue are ashen, place the parcel directly on the grill and cook for 15 mins, carefully turning it once or twice. The prawns will be nearly ready when the parcel begins to puff up with steam. Remove the parcel from the barbecue, open it up carefully and tip the prawns and buttery juices into a serving bowl. Squeeze over one of the lemon halves and sprinkle with the parsley. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges. Serve the prawns with the lemon wedges for squeezing over and crusty bread on the side for mopping up the juices.
GOOD TO KNOW gluten free
PER SERVING 420 kcals • fat 33g • saturates 15g •
carbs 1g • sugars 1g • fibre 1g • protein 24g • salt 1.2g