TASTE OF SUMMER FACT
Few things signify summer more than prawns cooking on a BBQ! To welcome the arrival we have created a delicious recipe that features both, and is full of classic Spanish flavours.
One of summer’s pleasures is being able to spend more time outdoors and cooking on a BBQ. This season’s recipe is perfect for this, and combines prawns with the unlikely, but delicious pairing of chorizo sausage, which has been made in Spain for centuries with pork, garlic and smoked paprika. The prawns and chorizo are served with ajo blanco, a chilled Spanish soup often served as a sauce and interestingly made with stale white bread, garlic, blanched almonds, sherry vinegar and olive oil. Whilst the sauce may sound a little strange, it is delicious and might just become a favourite!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tsp Sweet Paprika
- 1⁄4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1⁄8 tsp Chilli Powder
- 2 Garlic Cloves – peel and finely chop.
- 1 Lemon – finely zest.
- 80ml Olive Oil
- 1⁄4 bunch Curly Parsley – pick sprigs, rinse, drain and finely chop.
- 1⁄4 tsp Caster Sugar
- 36 Green Prawn Cutlets – peel, leaving the tail on and devein.
- 240gm Chorizo Sausage – evenly cut into 24 x 1cm slices widthways.
- 50gm Sourdough White Bread – remove and discard crusts, break into bite size pieces.
- As Required – Cold Water
- 50gm Sourdough White Bread – remove and discard crusts, break into bite size pieces.
- As Required – Cold Water
- 1⁄2 Garlic Clove – peel and roughly chop.
- 120gm Blanched Almonds – roughly chop.
- 90ml Cold Water
- 45ml Sherry Vinegar
- 40ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- To Taste – Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 12 x 20cm Metal Skewers
- As Required – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
- 12 Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves – rinse, drain and roughly tear.
- As Required – Smoked Paprika
METHOD
- In a mixing bowl, add the sweet paprika, 1⁄4 tsp smoked paprika, chilli powder, 2 garlic cloves, lemon zest, olive oil, curly parsley and sugar. Mix to combine. Add the prawns and chorizo sausage and toss until they are evenly coated with the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- In a second mixing bowl, add the bread. Pour over the first quantity of cold water until the bread is fully immersed. Leave for 2 minutes, then remove the bread and squeeze out, discarding any excess water.
- Place the bread, 1⁄2 garlic clove, almonds and 90ml cold water, into the jug of a food blender and blend to a smooth puree. Then add the vinegar and 40ml extra virgin olive oil and blend until the ingredients are fully combined. Remove and place the ajo blanco into a mixing bowl. Season to taste, then set it to one side for 30 minutes to allow its flavours to further develop.
- Remove the prawns and chorizo sausage from the marinade, allowing any excess to drain off. Then, on each metal skewer, alternately thread 3 prawns and 2 pieces of chorizo sausage. Lightly spray the prepared skewers with extra virgin olive oil.
- On a moderately hot BBQ griddle plate, add the skewers and cook for 1 minute on each side or until they are browned and the prawns and chorizo sausage are cooked through. Remove from the heat.
TO SERVE
Stack the skewers on a serving board or platter, garnish with the flat-leaf parsley. Place the ajo blanco into a serving bowl and lightly dust it with the second quantity of smoked paprika, to serve with the Spanish prawn and chorizo skewers.
