Fresh Alaskan spot prawns, caught that same day, cooked
briefly then shock-chilled in ice water, ready to peel and eat with your
fingers – OH MY GOODNESS! That’s good eats!!
It all began when we invited a couple from a boat anchored
nearby in Gut Bay (link) to join us for an evening of chili, cornbread and
conversation. They arrived with a bottle of wine and a plastic bag bursting with
some of their just-pulled and cleaned Alaskan spot prawns. Wow, what thoughtful
hostess gifts! These jumbo beauties were perfect to turn a plain green salad
into something extra special. The dressing, adapted from one found in a Food
& Wine cookbook, “Soups & Salads”, was delicious on the greens alone as well as on the prawns. Think green goddess with an attitude.
Note: the extra sauce made a second appearance as a cracker and vegetable dip later
in the week. There were no extra prawns.
Are you thinking about serving the prawns as a stand-alone treat, an appetizer perhaps with
sauce on the side? Peel the cooked and cooled prawns if you feel you absolutely
must. I favor the peel and eat as you go method with prawns; it’s messy but
utterly delicious. Fastidious friends might
use knife and fork or even chopsticks, but fingers are hard to beat for
efficiency. Besides, you get to lick the sauce off the prawns and your fingers
as you go.
Great Green Dressing
for Salad and Shrimp
Inspired by Food & Wine “Soups & Salads” recipe
6 anchovy fillets
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
½ cup mint leaves and stems (or dried mint)
4 ounces olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium avocado
2 tablespoons water, more or less as needed to adjust consistency
(optional)
Pinch of ground white pepper
Add the first 8 ingredients (anchovies through avocado) to a
blender jar. Pulse to chop, then blend continuously until smooth. Add water as
need to thin as needed. Taste, then season with pepper (and salt if desired) to
suit your taste.
