Weekend Cooking: Prawns vs Shrimps

Back in the 1980s there was a very successful tourism campaign which encouraged Americans to visit Australia. I dare say if you asked any Aussies, they would say that the catch cry used by Paul Hogan was "throw another shrimp on the barbie" but this is one of those occasions where that isn't actually what was said.  There are a few different versions of the ad, but here's one where Hoges actually says that he will slip a shrimp on the barbie

The other big issue with this ad is that we just don't call that particular form seafood shrimp. If you come to Australia and ask for shrimp you will get very small prawns (the kind that you would normally see in fried rice) and not the type that you see in the ad.

You may wonder why I am talking an ad from the 1980's. Let me assure you that it isn't just for nostalgic reasons. It's because I have prawns on the mind!

I do love prawns but I do tend to only eat them at this time of the year. I know that there  is no reason why we can't have them at other point in the year in things like prawn pasta, or in a prawn laksa, but we just don't.

It is, however,  quite a normal thing for us to sit on the deck on Christmas Eve and eat a pile of prawns whilst downing some nice wine. This year, we did it a bit differently and cooked them and then served them up with three different types of butter (garlic, lemon and chilli butter) with steamed rice! Delicious!

Every year we do a pretty traditional Christmas lunch where the first course is a prawn cocktail for all of us, except for my son who doesn't like prawns. This year he didn't have anything for first course, but in previous years he has been known to just have lettuce.

We also had prawns for dinner the other night, this time with a chilli and garlic sauce and steamed rice.

I thought that today, I would share my favourite recipe for barbecue prawns. I have shared this recipe before but it was many years ago and it is still one of my favourites, and I have a few friends who love it  too! If I am making it for a group I tend to buy frozen prawns rather than having to do the whole cleaning and peeling business!

I am hoping that we might get one more big prawn feast this year, but we will see what happens!

Low-fat barbecued prawns with lime, chilli & coriander

Preparation Time

20 minutes
Cooking Time

25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

* 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
* 1 tbs fish sauce
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 4 kaffir lime leaves, deveined, finely shredded crossways
* 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 3 small fresh red chillies, deseeded, chopped
* Salt & freshly ground black pepper
* 1kg (about 12) large green king prawns, peeled leaving head and tail intact, deveined
* 2 tbs roughly chopped fresh coriander
* Lemon wedges, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Combine the lemon juice, fish sauce, oil, lime leaves, garlic and chillies in a large ceramic or glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the prawns and toss gently until the prawns are coated in the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
3. Heat a barbecue grill or chargrill on high. Cook the prawns in batches of 3-4 on preheated grill (depending on available space), brushing with the marinade, for 2-3 minutes each side or until they change colour, curl and shells are browned. Place the cooked prawns on a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while cooking the remaining prawns.
4. Place the prawns on serving plates, sprinkle with the coriander and serve immediately with the lemon wedges if desired.


Weekly meals

Saturday - Pork chops, mashed potatoes, broccolini 

Sunday - 

Monday -Zucchini Risotto

Tuesday - Burgers with waffle friends 

Wednesday - Southern Fried Chicke

Thursday - Prawns with Rice

Friday - Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.