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Appetisers are an introduction to a meal and so getting it right is important. Prawn cocktail is recommended to set the tone for a satisfying lunch or dinner. It is also easy to rustle this delicious and wholesome appetiser. A creamy, mildly spicy and tangy appetiser, prawn cocktail can be served by itself or with brown bread. One can play around the ingredients according to taste preferences, but the star ingredients are the prawns and the sauce.
Origins of Prawn Cocktail
The invention of prawn cocktail, it is said, dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries, at a time when fruit and shrimp cocktails were quite popular in the US. It is believed to have been invented in the US, but again, with all origin stories, there are also claims that it originated in the UK as it is ubiquitous in English cuisine. It is called cocktail as the dish is served in cocktail glasses, making the whole process of scooping out spoonfuls of creamy, yummy Prawn Cocktail all the more appealing, so cheers! According to an account by Glass and Vine Restaurant website, prawn cocktails were first commercially served in cocktail glasses at a bar in Las Vegas in the 1950s, which were priced for about 50 cents per glass.
Here is a recipe for Prawn Cocktail:
Preparation time-15 minutes
Cook time-15 minutes
Total time- 30 minutes
Cuisine-Continental
Course-Appetiser
Diet-Non-Vegetarian
Difficulty level-Moderate
Servings-2
Ingredients
1. 5-6 tiger prawns
2. 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3. 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
4. 1 tablespoon tabasco sauce
5. 1-2 chopped spring onions
6. 1 teaspoon lime juice
7. ¼ shredded lettuce
8. Salt as per taste
9. 1 teaspoon pepper
10. 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Method
1. Thoroughly clean and devein the prawns
2. Then cook the prawns in olive oil for at least four minutes
3. Take the mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, tabasco sauce, and mix well to make the sauce for the Prawn Cocktail
4. Add lemon juice and pepper to the sauce
5. Chop the lettuce and place it in separate cocktail glasses
6. Add spring onions, place the prawns, add the sauce, sprinkle the red chilli flakes, and serve.
Prawns/ Instagram- jennifers.kitchen
1. Tiger prawns: Ensure the prawns are fresh, thoroughly washed and deveined. Prawns have several health benefits. It is a rich source of iodine, zinc, selenium, Vitamin B12, folate, and antioxidants. But some people have an allergy to prawns and this must be checked before serving the appetiser.
2. Iceberg lettuce: The lettuce should be thoroughly washed and fresh as it adds flavour and crunch to the dish. Lettuce, too, is full of nutrients. It is rich in Vitamin K and calcium, which are good for the bones, Vitamin A, which is good for the eyes, and it also contains fibre and water.
3. To ensure that the Prawn Cocktail is authentically made, it is important that the sauce is made in a correct way with the right consistency, not thin nor very thick, with the right balance of creamy, tangy and spicy.
