Tiger Prawns in Soy, Saké, Honey and Vodka

Photo © Gary Purvis

At the weekend, I was making my favourite Prawn, Mango, Avocado and Chilli starter again (clearly, I am hooked!) and wanted to find a more creative approach for  photographing it. My intention was to create a bold statement, which said ‘this starter has prawn in it!’ and, by chance, had a few tiger prawns lurking in the back of the freezer for an opportunity like this. As these tiger prawns are far too good than just decorative purposes, I thought I’d cobble together a new marinade I had not made before. This is what I came up with.

Next time, I will gladly serve this on its own, but for now, have only had it as a complement to my Prawn, Mango, and Avocado dish. The addition to vodka at the end was very much a last minute snap decision- that, and of course my fondness for setting alight to things (I must add, in a controlled fashion). I do not want to be help responsible for singed eyebrows or worse – just to warn you, alcohol will flame straight up. If in an doubt, keep a damp tea towel at hand just in case you think it is going to get out of control. For the purpose of the photograph below, I was lucky enough to have a very gifted friend over to take photos for me (in exchange for food, naturally). I would never simultaneously try and ignite alcohol and take a photo. Even though I have not had this as a starter on its own, I will write it up as such.  the Tiger prawns with shells in tact I use were bought frozen from a supermarket, so please defrost thoroughly before marinating. The marinade for this Tiger prawns in soy, saké, honey and vodka recipe could not be simpler – don’t worry if you do not have everything, substitution is absolutely fine. Don’t have saké? Try dry sherry. Don’t want to have the pan inferno? Skip the vodka. I am sure it’ll taste great too.

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Tiger Prawns in Soy, Sake, Honey and Vodka

Based on the ingredients, I am struggling to determine if this is more Thai or Japanese inspired - either way, it is really quick to prepare, takes less than 5 minutes to cook, and tastes great. If making larger quantities, make more of the marinade.

Course Starter

Cuisine Oriental

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1 -2

Author Richard Bewley

Ingredients

• 4-6 large tiger prawns, per person, defrosted
• 2 x tbsb dark soy sauce
• 1 x tbsp saké
• 1 x tsp liquid honey
• 2 x tsp Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• Salad leaves
• Trimmed and julienned carrots, bell peppers, and spring onions to garnish.
• 1 x shot vodka, optional

Instructions

• First, combine the dark soy sauce, saké, honey, an chilli sauce together in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Then, add the prawns and coat thoroughly with the marinade. Cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 30-60 mins to 2 hours. Turn prawns over half way to ensure that they are evenly coated.
• Next, bring a large frying pan to a medium to high heat, and add the oil, and twirl the pan around so that the base is evenly covered. Next, add the marinate from the prawns (be careful, it may spit back at you when it makes contact with the oil), and, as soon as it bubbles, add the prawns.
• After a minute or so, turn prawns over. The underside should now be pink and cooked through. Cook the other side of the prawns for a further 60-90 seconds, then turn off the heat.
• Optionally, add a good shot of vodka and ignite (I use a chef's torch for this), and stand well back. The flames will die down after a minute or two.
• Finally, plate up. Arrange the prawns with the salad leaves and julienned vegetables, then add the prawns alongside. Drizzle the contents of the pan over the prawns and salad ingredients.

Recipe Notes

Whist this will take longer from scratch, the bulk of the time this dish takes is marinading.
As this is a tad messy to eat, you may well want to have a finger bowl at hand.