Cooking with Prawns and Shrimp

This is such an easy thing to throw together at the last minute when you need something for a crowd. Be sure to use king prawns - the cooking time for the prawns and the bacon is similar. The rack keeps the prawns from sitting in the draining bacon fat.

Spicy Prawns Wrapped in Bacon

Ingredients

* 16 king prawns, peeled and deveined
* 8 bacon rashers, cut in half
* cayenne pepper, to taste

Preparation method

1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees C.
2. Wrap prawns in bacon, securing with a cocktail stick.
3. Line a roasting tray with aluminium foil and place wire cooling rack in tray. Place the prawns on the rack, and sprinkle with cayenne, and turn and sprinkle second side. Let the prawns sit for 15 minutes.
4. Cook in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The rack keeps the prawns from sitting in the draining bacon fat.

From the deep south of the USA comes this piquant gumbo with rice, chicken, prawns and vegetables, a cross between a soup and a stew - a feast in a bowl.

Creole-style Chicken and Prawn Gumbo

Ingredients

* 100 g chorizo sausage, skinned and finely diced
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3½ tablespoons plain flour
* 2 celery stalks, finely chopped, leaves reserved for garnish
* 2 onions, finely chopped
* 2 green capsicums, seeded and chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, crushed
* 400 g can chopped tomatoes (no added salt)
* 1 litre salt-reduced or homemade chicken or vegetable stock
* 200 g okra, thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 bay leaf
* pinch of cayenne pepper
* 1 cup (175 g) basmati and wild rice, rinsed
* 3 skinless chicken thigh fillets
* 250 g peeled large raw prawns
* Tabasco (optional)

Preparation method

1. Put the chorizo in the base of a heavy-based saucepan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Fry, stirring frequently, until it has rendered some fat and is crisp at the edges. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
2. Increase the heat slightly and stir in the celery, onions, green capsicums and garlic and continue frying, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to low and add the oil to the sausage fat remaining in the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly, until well blended. Cook very gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the mixture turns a rich brown. This is the roux, which flavours and thickens the gumbo.
4. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the stock, okra, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, half cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the okra thickens the soup.
5. While the soup is simmering, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Increase the heat and bring the liquid to the boil. Stir in the rice, then reduce the heat to low. Add the chicken and the celery-onion-capsicum mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Pour in a little extra stock if needed. Add the prawns and reserved chorizo and simmer for 1 minute or until the prawns turn pink and the sausage is heated through.
6. Remove the bay leaf. Season to taste, then ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved celery leaves. Serve with Tabasco, if you like.

Cooks Tip
The combination of capsicums, onions and celery is called the "holy trinity" by Cajun cooks, and is used to flavour many dishes; red or yellow capsicums can be substituted for the green. Okra is thought to have originated in Africa. When cut, it releases a sticky substance with thickening properties, which makes it popular in this kind of dish. Okra can now be found in many supermarkets and grocery stores. Andouille sausage, a spicy smoked pork sausage, is traditional, but chorizo is a good substitute. Chorizo is widely used in both Mexican and Spanish cookery.

Few cities can match New Orleans as a mecca for foodies.

The city's culinary cornerstones are Cajun and Creole, two similar yet distinct cooking styles.

Cajun Cuisine

Cajun cuisine is a robust mix of French and Southern food. The recipes use simple ingredients and often include a dark roux thickener of flour and pork fat. Cajun dishes include dirty rice, catfish, gumbo (a stew thickened with okra pods) and jambalaya (a rice dish cooked with shrimp, oysters, chicken, or ham and seasoned with herbs and spices).

Most recipes rely on sautéing onions, celery, and green bell peppers (otherwise known as the "holy trinity") and adding a lot of spices and filé powder, which is made of ground sassafras leaves and used as a thickener.

Creole Cuisine

Caribbean, African, French, and Spanish immigrants created Creole cuisine. Creole recipes frequently include butter, cream, and tomatoes. Just like Cajun food, Creole cooking uses sautéed onions, celery, and green peppers and filé powder for thickening. Famous Creole recipes include oysters Rockefeller, bananas Foster, and shrimp rémoulade.

Shrimp Creole

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
* 1/2 cup diced onions
* 1/2 cup diced celery
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 (14-ounces) can tomatoes
* 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* Salt and pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
* Green onions, for garnish

Directions

Preheat crock pot on high.

In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery. Cook until softened. Add chili powder and saute until caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, white sugar, salt and pepper.

Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions.

Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

* 16 jumbo shrimp, deveined in shell, raw
* Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1/2 cup for brushing
* Coarse salt and black pepper
* 2 lemons, halved

Directions

Preheat griddle or grill pan over high heat.

Butterfly shrimp by slicing almost through lengthwise, but leave shell on shrimp, this will keep the shrimp tender while grilling over such high heat.

Brush shrimps with oil, season with salt and pepper and grill 2 minutes on each side, until shells are hot pink and shrimp is opaque.

Place lemons on grill the last minute. The heat will release the juice from the lemons. To serve, squeeze grilled lemon wedges over shrimp.

Sangria Glazed Prawns

Ingredients

Glaze:

* 3/4 cup red wine
* 1/4 cup apple juice
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 1/4 cup sherry
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 3 tablespoons cold water

For the Prawns:

* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1/2 cup diced red onion
* 1 red bell pepper, diced
* 1 apple, cored, diced
* 1 pound shrimp (21 to 25 count), cleaned and deveined
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* Sprigs fresh mint

Directions

For the glaze: In a small sauce pot add all ingredients except cornstarch and water. On medium-low heat, simmer and reduce mixture by 1/3. In small sauce bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Then whisk this into the hot mixture. Turn heat to low and simmer until reduced by half.

For the prawns: In medium saute pan add butter and oil. When butter is melted add onions and peppers. Cook until translucent but not to achieve color. Add apples and prawns, and cook until prawns turn pink. Toss with paprika and glaze.

Garnish with fresh mint.

Grilled Prawns with Habanero-Toasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

* 20 prawns, shells on
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Habanero-Toasted Garlic Vinaigrette, recipe follows
* Thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Heat the grill to high or heat a grill pan over high heat.

Toss prawns in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. Remove from the grill and immediately drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve 5 prawns per person and garnish with thyme sprigs.

Habanero-Toasted Garlic Vinaigrette:

* 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus 1/2 cup
* 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
* Salt
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 to 1 1/2 habanero chiles, seeded and chopped
* 2 teaspoons honey

Heat grill. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saute pan over medium heat on the grates of the grill; add the garlic, season with salt and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Transfer garlic to a blender and add the vinegar, habanero, and honey and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the 1/2 cup oil and blend until emulsified.

Ragin' Cajun Jambalaya (Crock Pot)

Ingredients

* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
* 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced (with leaves)
* 16 ounces kielbasa or andouille sausages, sliced
* 2 cups cooked cubed chicken (optional)

* 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 cup uncooked converted rice
* 1 cup chicken stock or water
* 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (I use Salt-Free Cajun Seasoning recipe # 81383)
* 1 lb frozen tailless cooked large shrimp, defrosted
* snipped fresh parsley, to garnish
* hot sauce, to serve

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients except the shrimp into the crock pot; stir well to combine.
2. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4-5 hours, until rice is done and vegetables are tender. (If you have an older model crockpot as I do, cook on HIGH for same amount of time).
3. Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until heated through.
4. Garnish with snipped parsley and serve with hot sauce at the table.