Prawn and Fennel Cocktail
This sophisticated Irish starter is perfect for a dinner party. It combines blanched fennel with king prawns and fresh herbs, all bound with a homemade saffron and chilli rouille. The mixture is artfully presented in martini glasses, topped with salad leaves and a whole prawn. Ready in just 22 minutes, it serves eight and makes an impressive yet refreshing beginning to a meal.
Ingredients
- 3 heads fennel trimmed
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp Maldon sea salt
- juice 1/2 lemon
- 400g cooked, peeled king prawns
- handful chervil leaves, roughly chopped
- handful tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
- 6 small handfuls mixed salad leaves
- 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges
- 1 small red chilli deseeded
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch saffron strands
- 250ml good-quality mayonnaise
Method
- For the rouille, pound the chilli and garlic into a paste using a pestle and mortar. Simmer the saffron with 4 tbsp of water. Combine the saffron water, garlic paste, and chilli with the mayonnaise, then refrigerate until needed.
- Quarter the fennel, discard the cores, and slice it very thinly with a mandolin or sharp knife. Boil the fennel slices for 1 min until just wilted, then drain and plunge into iced water. Drain once more, squeeze out all water with a cloth, and chill.
- Toss the chilled fennel with the sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Halve most of the prawn tails, reserving one whole tail per serving. Mix the chopped prawns into the fennel, add the chervil and tarragon, and bind with roughly 6-7 tbsp of rouille. Loosely fill 6-8 martini glasses halfway with this mix. Top with the salad leaves and a whole prawn tail, then drizzle over the collected fennel juices. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories380 kcal
Fat32 g
Saturates5 g
Carbs6 g
Sugars5 g
Fibre2 g
Protein17 g
Sodium1944 mg
Salt4 g
Recipe details
Skill levelMore effort
CategoryMain course
Cuisineirish
