recipes/seafood/starters

Prawn Cocktail Recipe

Posted March 30, 2012 by Stephanie

I’m obsessed with Marks and Spencer prawn cocktail flavoured snacks. Back in the day, Vancouver used to have an outpost of the popular British shop and whenever I passed by I would buy a bag. They were completely addictive: crisp, melt-in-your-mouth type chips flavoured like the classic British prawn cocktail.

Prawn cocktail is a mighty delicious flavour. So delicious that it caused a paradigm shift in my thinking. You see, in high school I decided I was going to be a vegetarian. It wasn’t for health reasons, or even because I felt for the animals. No, I’m ashamed to admit, I did it to be cool.

Surprisingly, as a meat lover who has zero self-control, I managed to be vegetarian for a good 3 months. My vegetarian streak finally ended when I found out the Marks and Spencer was closing and I wouldn’t have access to prawn cocktail snacks anymore. I headed out to the store as soon as I heard and proceeded to have a prawn cocktail snack feast. Thinking about it, I guess I could have continued on as a pescetarian, but those shrimp chips were like a gateway drug; once I tasted meat again I couldn’t stop.

As a flavour, prawn cocktail is wildly popular in the UK. Amongst the bags of salt & vinegar and cheese & onion crisps (chips), you’ll find lots of prawn cocktail. They taste of ketchup, mayo and a hint of prawn. Sounds strange, but prawn cocktail chips are seriously delicious.

Prawn cocktail is kind of retro and old school, but classics are classic for a reason! Sweet prawns are smothered in a marie rose sauce and served with a bit of crisp iceberg lettuce and creamy avocado. This appetizer is super easy to make and even easier to eat.

i am prawn filled, i am not actually a cocktail, yet: i am prawn cocktail!

Prawn Cocktail adapted from Heston Blumenthal at Home
serves 2

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons mayonaise
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • 1 cup cooked shelled prawns (I used baby shrimp)
  • 1/4 of head of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
  • 1/2 avocado, finely diced
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • salmon roe (optional)

Combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the prawns and stir to coat.

In two bowls, divide the shredded lettuce, top with diced avocado and then the prawns and sauce. Add the salmon roe on top if using. Enjoy!

 

5 Comments

  1. Holy cool! I love a good prawn cocktail.

    The salmon roe really adds a bit of colour and brings it bang up to date!

    Also… I recently had it served to me at a farm with thin slices of mango through it. THAT was insanely tasty. You should try it.

    Oh and I adore your blog.

  2. Christopher says:

    Oh yum, Gordon Ramsay does a prawn cocktail like this as well.

  3. Joan Clements says:

    Easy Peasy and so good, thanks again it was a much appreciated afternoon break after hours of shopping. We toasted rye soldiers in butter in the pan to add some carbs.

  4. Angela Murphy says:

    I’ve tried this recipe several times. I love the flavour. BUT it’s very liquid. How do you get the sauce more solid like it is in the Heston prawn cocktails?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

$(function(){ var trigger = $('.hamburger'), overlay = $('.overlay'), isClosed = false; trigger.click(function () { hamburger_cross(); }); function hamburger_cross() { if (isClosed == true) { overlay.hide(); trigger.removeClass('is-open'); trigger.addClass('is-closed'); isClosed = false; } else { overlay.show(); trigger.removeClass('is-closed'); trigger.addClass('is-open'); isClosed = true; } } $('[data-toggle="offcanvas"]').click(function () { $('#wrapper').toggleClass('toggled'); }); bindBehavior.subscribe(); });