Peel-&-Eat Piri Piri Prawns recipe makes a perfect dish for the family.
Serves 4-6 as a starter
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
20 large raw prawns (shrimp), unpeeled
lemon wedges, to serve
For the piri piri sauce
4 finger-length fresh red chillies
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 teaspoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
juice of 2 lemons
45 ml (1½ fl oz) red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ tablespoons olive oil
METHOD
1 To make the piri piri sauce, place the chillies and garlic in a small frying pan over medium heat and dry-fry for 5 minutes or until blackened. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and chillies and remove the chilli seeds.
2 Put them in a blender with the remaining ingredients and season with salt. Purée until the sauce is smooth.
3 Preheat a barbecue or a chargrill pan to medium–high. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 10 minutes to prevent them from burning during cooking.
4 Remove the heads and legs from the prawns. Using kitchen scissors, cut a slit along the back of each prawn about 5 cm (2 inches) long and carefully remove the digestive tract. Put the prawns in a bowl, add half the piri piri sauce and toss to coat well. Thread one prawn onto each skewer, then cook for about 3 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and the shells
turn a deep pink.
5 Serve with the remaining piri piri sauce and lemon wedges to squeeze over.
TIP: Make the piri piri sauce up to 2 days ahead, and refrigerate in a covered container. Split the backs of the prawns earlier in the day and store them in a bowl lined with paper
towel. Marinate and grill just before serving.
Recipes and Images from My Street Food Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce, published by Murdoch books