By Pete Evans
Growing up in Queensland (Australia’s sunshine state) in the 1970s, I was initiated into the prawn cocktail club from a very young age. In those days the prawn cocktail was at its culinary peak, and in some parts of Oz it still is, and rightly so. Who doesn’t love a wonderful salad that combines the best of paleo: good-quality wild-caught protein, an abundance of good fats in the form of healthy avocado and a mayonnaise-based sauce, and fresh veggies flavoured with gut-enriching kimchi?
SERVES 4 AS A STARTER
- 16 raw king prawns
- ½ iceberg lettuce, roughly shredded
- 80g kimchi
- 1 handful of dill fronds
- 1 avocado, sliced
- White sesame seeds, toasted, to serve
- Lemon wedges, to serve
DRESSING
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger
SPICY AIOLI
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha Chilli Sauce, or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons Tomato Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 250 g (1 cup) Aioli (See recipe below)
To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Cook the prawns in boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes until pink and firm. Transfer the prawns to a bowl of ice-cold water and leave for 3–5 minutes until they are completely cold. Peel and devein, leaving the tails intact.
Meanwhile, make the spicy aioli. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
Add more aioli if the flavour is too spicy for your liking or add more sriracha if you prefer it extra spicy.
Place the lettuce, kimchi and dill in a mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss through.
Place the salad in serving bowls and top with the avocado and prawns. Drizzle some of the spicy aioli over the prawns, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with the lemon wedges.
AIOLI
- 6 roasted garlic cloves
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 420 ml (1 2/3 cups) olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground
- Black pepper
Combine the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and oil in a glass jug or jar. Using a hand-held blender, blend, working the blade from the bottom of the jug slowly to the top, until thick and creamy. Alternatively, place the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream and process until the aioli is thick and creamy.
Season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–5 days.
