Crispy School Prawns
School prawns are mucky little things. Snip the antennae, dry them properly, fry them fast and eat them whole. There is no other way to such crispy delights.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
800g school prawns
75g flour
750ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 cup finely sliced spring onions, green bits only
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup garlic dip
lemon, to serve
METHOD
Trim and remove the long antennae by pulling them up and snipping close to the prawn head. Some heads may separate - discard or keep them, as you prefer.
Rinse well and pat dry with paper towel. Allow to dry in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge until you are ready to fry.
Preheat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Test it with a piece of bread or a flour dusted prawn head - it should sizzle and turn golden in about 8 seconds.
Toss the prawns and flour in a mixing bowl until well coated. Using a thoroughly dry sieve, shake off the excess flour and gently lower a batch into the oil.
Fry until golden, about 1 minute, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat in batches.
Combine the salt, onion powder, coriander seed, chilli flakes and spring onions in the mixing bowl, then toss the crispy prawns through the spiced salt.
Mix the mayonnaise and garlic dip in a smaller bowl and place on the platter as a dollop alongside the prawns and lemon wedges.
Serve immediately, encouraging everyone to eat them whole.
HINTS
Dry prawns fry crisp, wet prawns steam. The sieve in the fridge is doing real work, so give it time.
The sieve doubles as your scooper. One less thing to wash and the prawns come out all at once.
Fry in batches and keep the oil hot. Crowding the pot drops the temperature and you get soft, oily prawns instead of shattering ones.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 8700kJ (2070 calories)
Protein: 160g
Fat: 120g
Saturated fat: 18g
Carbohydrates: 70g
Sugars: 4g
Fibre: 3g
Sodium: 8000mg
Note: most of the frying oil stays in the pot and much of the spiced salt is left on the platter, so actual fat and sodium consumed are lower.
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.