Spot Prawns are coming back in season! That inspired me to pull out one of my favorite spot prawn recipes from the sdfoodtravel back catalogue. You see, there’s no better way to “cook” spot prawns than by not cooking them…and a little Modern Gastronomy along the way.
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Spotted Prawns:
- 4 very fresh Spotted Prawns (or sushi grade shrimp or scallops)
- Finishing salt
For the Tomato Prawn Gel:
- 1 onion
- 1 knob ginger
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 2 teaspoons agar agar powder
For the Bacon Snow:
- 20 grams freshly rendered bacon fat (rendered from approximately 2 pounds of bacon)
- 25 grams maltodextrin
For the Nuoc Cham:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 lime, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 yellow peppers, finely chopped
For the Garnishes:
- Micro Basil shoots
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Prepare the Spotted Prawns. Shell and devein the prawns, reserving the heads and shells. Set the shelled shrimp aside in the refrigerator
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Make the Tomato-Prawn Gel. Sweat the onion, ginger, carrot and celery in a sauce pan over low heat for three minutes. Add the reserved prawn heads and shells, two cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the shrimp stock by half over medium heat, add the tomato juice and cook for another three minutes before adding the agar agar. Mix the agar liquid thoroughly with a wire whisk. Bring the liquid back to a boil until the liquid visibly thickens. Pour the liquid into a tray of small cupcake molds and refrigerate until the gels are set.
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Make the Bacon Snow. Place the maltodextrin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. With the processor operating drizzle the rendered bacon fat into the feed tube, stopping every once in a while to scrape down the bottom. Continue drizzling the fat in until the resulting “snow” reaches the desired texture. It should still feel like a powder in your fingers but should melt nearly the instant it hits your tongue.
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Make the Nuoc Cham. In a mixing bowl, combine water and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice and mix to combine thoroughly. Adjust flavors to taste. Add garlic and chili pepper.
- Plate the Dish. Place a Gel on one side of a long thin plate and top it with a prawn. Scope some of the Bacon Snow on the other side of the plate in an elongated pile. Spoon some of the Nuoc Cham over the shrimp and Gel. Sprinkle some Micro Basil shoots over the shrimp and Gel.
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