Shrimp Entree Recipes: Prawn Cocktails, Shrimp Skewers, Thai Shrimp

Shrimps or prawns are just perfect for an entree or starters. They are light, tasty, have a delightful texture and don't overpower the appetite. The classic prawn cocktail, served cold insipid, slimy and lifeless has ruined the concept of shrimps as entrees. But, there are many fabulous alternatives the try which are outlined below, including a best ever recipe for shrimp cocktail. Of course you need very fresh green or cooked prawns to do these recipes justice.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Garlic and Butter

Ingredients

Salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra Virgin Olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chives, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
20 short bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 pound (500 g) large prawns, peeled, de-veined, but with the tail left on.

Method

Prepare your grill or barbecue on high heat, with a cooler part and a hotter section for fast cooking over hot coals or a flame. Thread a water-soaked skewer through each shrimp, starting at the tail end and right through to just short of the head end. Brush the shrimp with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt the butter using your microwave oven or in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and mix well. Place the prawn skewers on the hottest part of the grill over the hot coals or flame, with the protruding bamboo skewer ends over the cool side of the grill. Grill for about 2 minutes for each side. Then, quickly remove to a serving dish. Brush and spoon generously with the garlic and melted garlic mix. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately while hot.

Prawn and Avocado Salad Recipe with Lemon and Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 bunch chives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 green witlof, ends trimmed, leaves separated
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed and then thinly sliced lengthways
750 g (12 oz) cooked tiger prawns (or similar firm prawns), de-veined, peeled leaving tail intact,

Method

Warm the cooked prawns a little in your microwave oven. Arrange the avocado, witlof, prawns,chives and dill on serving plates. Mix the lemon juice, oil and mustard in a small jug. Pour the dressing over the prawn salad and serve immediately.

Prawn Rice Paper Rolls Recipe with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

1 garlic clove
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 coriander root, washed
1 1/4 cups spearmint leaves
1 1/4 cups coriander leaves
16 large rice paper wrappers
100 g (3 oz) vermicelli noodles
1/4 cup finely chopped palm sugar
1 green mango, peeled, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups small flowering Thai basil leaves
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 kg (500 g) medium to large size, fresh green prawns, peeled and de-veined

Method

Using a sharp knife and tweezers, remove the veins from the prawns. Then, insert a bamboo or metal skewer through each prawn, from tail to head. This keeps the prawns straight while they are being cooked. Heat a large saucepan of salted water over high hat until it boils. Add the prawns and simmer vigorously for about 2 minutes, until just cooked through. Drain and set aside. Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water and let cook for about 2 minutes. Rinse the noodles under cold running water and shale to drain. Using kitchen scissors or a knife, slice into 2 inch (5 cm) lengths. Add the basil, mint and coriander leaves and mix through.

To make a dipping sauce, pound the garlic, chilli and coriander root to a coarse paste using a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small jug and add the palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Taste and adjust the flavor by adding more sugar or more lime juice. Set aside.

Start assembling the rolls by filling a medium-size bowl with hot water. Place the rice paper wrappers in the hot water one at a time to soften them. Place all of them on a clean tea towel. Fold the top-side down of the wrapper over to create a flat top edge. Remove the skewers from prawns and place one prawn in the center of each wrapper. Place 1/4 cup of noodles, 1/4 cup of the combined herbs and one tablespoon green mango on top of each prawn. Fold the bottom edge up, roll the wrapper to enclose the filling. Set aside on a serving plate and fill the remaining wrappers. Serve with dipping sauce.

King Prawn and Shiitake Mushroom Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup salt
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lard
1/2 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons black vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
4 long red chillies, thinly sliced
1 cup Chinese wheat flour, or similar
12 (about 500 g; 1 lb) green king prawns, peeled, de-veined

Method

Place the chillies and salt in a small bowl and set aside in a cool place overnight or for several days. Place the lard and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, set aside to cool, and then combine with the flour in a bowl. Mix using a spoon until the dough falls a ball. Turn the dough out on to a clean work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 60-90 minutes. Pulse the prawns in a food processor to form a coarse paste. Add the prawn mixture to a medium bowl and add cornflour, shaoxing wine, ginger, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, and mix well. Slice the shiitake mushrooms thinly and fold into the prawn mixture. Next, unwrap the dough and slice it into 14 discs. Knead and then roll each disk to 9 cm (4 in) circular wrap. Place 1-2 tablespoonful of the prawn mixture into the centre of each disc. Gather the edges of the dough upwards to encase the prawn filling, squeezing the tops to seal. Cook the dumplings in a large bamboo steamer lined with baking paper for 8-10 minutes, until the pastry is translucent and prawn filling is cooked.

Make the dipping sauce by rinsing the chillies, marinated in salt, in cold running water, squeezing out any excess liquid. Add to a small bowl with some soy sauce and black vinegar. Serve the warm dumplings topped with the dipping sauce.

Deep Fried Salt and Pepper Prawns Recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (90g) rice flour
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
3 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper
2 cups peanut oil (or rice bran oil)
24 (about 1.5 kg; 3 lb) medium green tiger prawns, peeled with tails intact

Method

Use a sharp knife to butterfly and remove the veins from the prawns. Carefully cut into the belly of the prawn, not quite all the way through. With a small knife remove the intestine. Then, press down on the prawn flatten it and open it up to form a butterfly shape. Next, make the flour coating by combining the flour, salt and 2 teaspoons of Sichuan pepper in a medium-size bowl. Add the prawns and toss to evenly coat in the flour mixture. Transfer the prawns to a colander and toss to shake off excess flour. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until it is just about to smoke. Add 5-6 pawns at a time and cook for 2 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked prawns and drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Serve the prawns dusted with extra salt and pepper, and lemon wedges.

Perfect Modern Prawn Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

For the sauce:

2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Few drops of Tabasco, to taste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons brandy or medium sherry
8 tablespoons high quality mayonnaise (homemade is best)

For the prawns and salad

1 avocado
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
10 cm (4 in) piece of cucumber
bunch of chives, finely chopped
3 small lettuces (2 cups, shredded)
400 g (14 oz) good quality medium, fresh green prawns (peeled and de-veined)

Method

Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and mix in the other sauce ingredients. Fry the prawns in a hot frying pan until pink all over, but just cooked. Add the hot prawns to the sauce and mix well, keeping 4 aside to garnish when serving. Cut the cucumber in half length ways, and finely dice after scooping out the seed. Peel the avocado, dice finely and mix with the cucumber in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and season well with salt, freshly ground black pepper. Shred the lettuce fairly finely, and add to the mixture. Add a serving of the salad to 4 serving bowls. Add a scoop of prawns and top with a little extra salad, chives and cayenne pepper. Top with one extra prawns as a garnish and serve immediately.

Fragrant Thai Prawn Recipe with Mixed Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

20 raw king prawns
Juice and zest of 1 lime
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz olive oil)
1 small shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stem of lemongrass, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, halved length ways, seeded and finely chopped
2 1/2 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Method

Preheat your grill or barbecue to very hot. Place all the chopped herbs and ingredients into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and add the lime juice and zest, and mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes to develop the flavours. Remove the heads from the prawns, peel, de-vein, but leave the last two tail sections on. Grill or barbecue the prawns for only 45-60 seconds for each side until they turn pink. Serve in bowls on a bed of tossed herbs.

Thai Style Deep Fried Prawns with Homemade Tamarind Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

20 g rice flour
40 g tapioca flour
1 cup coriander leaves
2 cups peanut or rice bran oil
1 cup Chinese broccoli, trimmed and cut into 4–5 cm lengths
8 large raw king prawns, peeled and de-veined, with tails intact
1 large fresh red chilli, de-seeded and sliced length ways into thin strips

For the tamarind sauce

3/4 cup water
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup ﬁsh sauce
2 small dried chillies
1/4 cup tamarind puree
8 shallots, finely chopped
150 g (5 oz) soft palm sugar
1/4 cup (peanut or rice bran oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 red birds-eye chillies, finely chopped
3 large fresh red chillies, finely chopped

Method

Make the tamarind sauce by heating the oil in a deep heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the dried chillies, garlic and chopped fresh red chilli to the pan and cook for 60-90 seconds. Then, add the shallots, birds-eye chilli and cook for another minute. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and salt and mix to combine and dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and carefully add the water to the sauce. Simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes and then set aside. Next, heat the oil in a wok over medium to high heat. Combine the tapioca ﬂour and rice ﬂour in a bowl. Add the prawns and toss to coat. Place in a colander and shake off any excess. Deep-fry the prawns in small batches for 4-6 minutes, until pink in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the prawns on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining prawns. Blanch the Chinese broccoli in a saucepan of boiling water for 60-90 seconds and then drain. Place the Chinese broccoli on a serving plate, add the prawns and pour over some of the hot tamarind sauce. Garnish with coriander leaves and chilli, and serve hot.