No matter how accomplished you are or not as a cook, a good prawn dish will always impress. Prawns are like the appetiser version of lobster. It may not be your main dish, but it is certainly a rich delicacy to be appreciated.
One of the greatest things about prawn dishes is how easy they are to prepare. They take only minutes to peel and cook, and they absorb most flavours really well. This makes prawns a versatile ingredient in your cooking arson.
Some flavours, however, go better with prawns than others. Chilli and garlic are fan favourites all the world over, which is why today’s dish - a Pil Pil prawn salad, is the menu of choice.
This will be a variation on "Gambas Pil Pil", a very popular appetiser in Spain. We're going to turn it into a larger meal that you can have as a starter or even a main course, depending on how much salad you choose to have. The flavoured prawns pack enough flavour to become your new guilty pleasure - each mouthful is a party of aromatic sensations. It is always disappointing when the last one is eaten, especially if someone else ate it...
So, let’s not keep you waiting any further. Here’s that recipe.
Ingredients - what you’ll need for the prawns
Serves one comfortably, but two disappointingly
- 200 grams of king prawns (to be honest, 200grams is never enough)
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic (add more for extra flavour, organic is best)
- 1-2 teaspoons of sweet or smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup tomato paste or sauce
- Dried chilli flakes to taste (chilli powder can work too, but flakes look nicer)
- A pinch of salt
Tip:
Infusing the oil with garlic and, or chilli flakes really adds to the flavour. Avoid overcooking the prawns. It’s always better to make more of this dish because you will miss it when it's gone.
Ingredients - what you’ll need for the salad
- A handful of cherry tomatoes chopped into halves or quarters
- 3 baby cucumbers chopped into little circles (shape is optional)
- 1 avocado cut into slices
- Salad leaves of your choice
- A bit of basil to garnish
- 1 tablespoon of JUVIA per salad (or 1.5 if you are in the Rebalancing Phase)
- A pinch of salt
- ½ a lime for added flavour
- Optional: balsamic vinegar
Step 1 - cooking
Heat the oil in the pan until it begins to sizzle. Add the garlic and chilli and wait 15 seconds (if you haven’t infused the oil earlier), then add the king prawns and paprika. Add some salt and stir the prawns until they become an orange-pink colour (about 3 mins). Add the tomato sauce at the very end and let it all cool down.
Now, this is where it gets different to the original Pil Pil prawns, which are typically served piping hot. Because we're adding JUVIA as part of the salad dressing, you want to cool down the prawns before adding them to the salad as the supplement shouldn't be mixed with anything hot or the enzymes won't work.
Step 2 - mixing
Chop and place all of the salad ingredients into a bowl, including sauces and JUVIA. Wait for the prawns and oil to cool and pour the prawns with their oil included (it’s full of flavour) over the salad. Add a squeeze of lime.
Step 3 - relishing
Enjoy the salad and feel free to dip some bread into the sauce. Oh, and try not to fight over the last prawn!
Bon Appetit!