Prawns with Salsa Fresca

What a way to start a meal! This recipe is adapted from an Australian restaurant called Jackson’s and the recipe is from the cookbook, ‘Coast’ by Kendall Hill. The Coast cookbook is a compilation of mouth watering dishes from Australia’s leading chefs accompanied by stunning photographs along Australia’s pristine shores. Arugula (rocket) is peppery and aromatic and compliments this recipe. Arugula looks like a kind of lettuce, but it is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as broccoli and cauliflower. Like its cousins, it has many of the same potent health benefits. Arugula is rich in phytonutrients, which may reduce the risk of several kinds of cancer, including breast, stomach and colon. For more information on the health benefits of arugula, click here.

Serves 4
olive oil
16 large uncooked tiger prawns
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
knob of butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups rocket (arugula), washed and dried
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

Salsa
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 large ripe but firm avocado chopped into small cubes
1/3 large cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 fresh red or green chillies finely chopped

In a bowl, gently mix all the salsa ingredients to together. Season with salt and pepper and adjust lime juice or olive oil according to taste.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. When sizzling, seal the prawns. As the prawns begin to change color, add the garlic, wine and lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Swirl in the knob of butter and quickly remove from heat. Remember to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Season to taste.
Arrange a pile of rocket and spinach leaves on a plate followed by a mound of salsa in the middle. Arrange prawns around the salsa and spoon a little of the pan juice over the prawns. Serve with lemon wedges.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: A nice twist using prawns with salsa and I like the freshness of this dish.