Grilled prawn cocktail

SERVES 8 AS PART OF A SHARED TABLE PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES (PLUS MINIMUM 4 HOURS MARINATING) COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES

Marinate the prawns the day prior and prep all the other elements of the salad, except for slicing the avocado. The prawns take no time to cook, and the salad is easy to arrange just before serving.

1 bunch coriander

24 raw king prawns, heads removed, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped with seeds 2 garlic cloves, finely grated with a microplane

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

Salt flakes

250g cherry tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 baby cos lettuce, leaves removed, torn into large pieces

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

3 spring onions, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally

COCKTAIL SAUCE (MAKES 450g)

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp warm water

Pinch salt flakes

1 cup light olive oil

2 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp Sriracha sauce or hot chilli sauce 1 tsp grated fresh horseradish or store-bought horseradish cream

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp brandy

To make the sauce, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, warm water and salt in a tall, narrow measuring jug. Process well using a hand-held blender.

Continue to blend while you add a tablespoon of oil to the jug. Mix until it emulsifies, then slowly trickle in the remaining oil. Continue to blend in an up-and-down motion until you have mayonnaise. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Pick the coriander leaves and wash well. Dry them using a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towel. Cut the stalks just above the roots and discard the roots. Wash the stalks and finely chop them. Reserve the leaves in the fridge.

Put the prawns in a bowl with the oil, chilli, garlic, half of the lime zest, chopped coriander stalks and 2 teaspoons of salt flakes. Mix well and leave to marinate for a minimum of

4 hours, or overnight to really get all the flavours in there.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking tray, cut-side

up. Drizzle some olive oil over the top and season with salt and pepper. Put the tomatoes in the oven for 10 minutes to soften, then remove and set aside at room temperature. Heat a barbecue hotplate or preheat a grill to high. Cook the prawns on the hot barbecue for 3 minutes. Slight charring and a justcooked prawn is great. Transfer the prawns to a plate.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Top with the avocado, tomatoes, coriander leaves and prawns. Sprinkle over the remaining lime zest and sliced spring onion. Serve with the cocktail sauce.