We are lucky enough to live on the coast which means we have access to some amazing fishmongers with the most incredible fresh stock. We visit as much as we can and pick up whatever takes our fancy but one thing I always have in the freezer is a giant bag of king prawns. For around £12 you get enough prawns for at least 4 meals (so 8 portions) which is great value for money. The prawns are always huge, fresh and juicy too. If you don’t live near a fishmonger, supermarkets also sell a great range of fresh and frozen prawns, either will do. Just make sure if you use frozen, the prawns are thoroughly defrosted before cooking. I defrost mine by popping into a covered bowl in the fridge the night before.
Category: prawn
Harissa Prawn Orzo
I always have a bag of frozen, raw king prawns in the freezer as they are so flexible and can be thrown into most dishes to make them extra special. This week I also had some left over harissa and so thought I would get the two ingredients together to make a quick and easy dinner. The result was lovely. Fresh and lively flavours, filling and best of all, so quick and easy to make.
Goan Prawn Curry
I’ve always enjoyed a prawn curry but adding enough prawns to make it filling can end up a little pricey at times. That is unless you use the delightful option that is frozen king prawns! A large bag of these little beauty’s in the supermarket is so much cheaper than buying them fresh and so many people say they are actually better quality as they are frozen at sea as soon as they are caught. If you are using frozen, raw king prawns, make sure they are properly defrosted before adding to the dish.
Cajun Prawn and Coriander Risotto
Coriander is probably my favourite herb and I find it makes its way into lots of my cooking. One dish it hadn’t yet made it into was a risotto and, after fancying a different kind of risotto this week, I decided to have a little experiment with a Mexican style creation. The result was delicious. The risotto itself is creamy and indulgent yet bursting with fresh and vibrant flavours and the Cajun prawns add that little bit of extra oomph to the dish.
Very Lazy Chorizo, Prawn and Fennel Risotto – 12sp
Following on from my success using Very Lazy garlic and chillies in my last post, I was keen to road test the one of the other products that the lovely folks there sent me to try, the Very Lazy Smoked Garlic.
After doing a bit of brainstorming over what I fancied, I set my mind on creating a new risotto dish as I thought this would be the perfect way to retain the lovely smoky flavour of the garlic. The flavour of the garlic goes so well with both the paprika flavour in the chorizo and freshness of the prawns, and the addition of fennel to this dish really lifts it to a whole new level.
Prawn Nasi Goreng – 6sp
Nasi Goreng literally translates as ‘fried rice’ in Indonesia. This delightful dish is a great option if you are looking for something really straight forward, quick and tasty. I’ve just used a shop bought paste here as it’s not too many points and is a lovely flavour. I haven’t added any extra chilli as it already has a nice kick but you can always add some crushed chillies at the end if you like things really hot. I will also be posting a recipe with my own paste but since lots of you are asking for this recipe to make this week, I thought I best not keep you all waiting! I got my paste in Tesco but I know lots of other supermarkets do their own version too.
Pork and Prawn Gyoza – 6sp
Gyoza are one of my favourite ways to start a Chinese or Asian meal. These lovely little dumplings are always packed with flavour and never feel too naughty. Having regularly craved them at home, this week I decided to give them a whirl myself.
You can buy pre made gyoza skins in Chinese or Asian supermarkets which would make the whole process below a bit less fiddly/time consuming (I will be doing this next time!). Continue reading
Prawn Laksa – 11sp
Laksa is something that has been on my list of things to make for a good while now and this week I finally got around to it. I love any sort of spicy soup whether it be Tom Yum, Ramen or Pho so I knew I would love this just as much as the rest.
Chilli Prawn Linguine – 8sp
I love a quick and easy pasta sauce recipe so prawns are the perfect ingredient to include in one. Taking less than 5 minutes to cook, they are difficult to get wrong. I used some lovely big raw king prawns (which were already deveined) which were lovely and meaty and filling. I like to cook my prawns from raw so I know they are as fresh as possible and so they can cook them in the garlic and chilli so that take on all the flavour. If you are funny about cooking prawns from raw though, there is no harm in buying the precooked ones and just heating them through in the sauce at the end.
Pick ‘n’ Mix Chimichurri Pork and Prawn Tacos, Chimichurri Avocado Dip, Spicy Rice and Salsa – 12sp
One of my lovely friends got me a bottle of Chimichurri dressing for Christmas and, knowing how nice it was in a steak recipe I previously created, I decided to try and create something new. After asking my OH what meat he fancied, his response was ‘pork, or prawns, or both’ so I decided to give both a whirl. If you are making this at home, feel free to make one or the other. I’ve posted the points for both so you can decide which fits in best with your day – a bit of a pick and mix! If you have the points left you might even fancy both.