Prawns.

I can not remember when I did eat my very first Prawn, all I know is that I love them and eat them quite a lot. Just like that, cooked that is for sure, with a Lemon Mayo dip on the side.

Surely enough I can shell a Prawn fairly fast but sure enough, as well, I will not enter a competition for a Guinness record for shelling Prawns. However to dive into the world of our little Crustaceans. The Shells of them can be used to make a very nice Bisque or to enhance a Fish Stock.

 Fish Stock is quite hard to find in Supermarkets therefore I tend to do my own.

Apart from eating cooked Prawns like that with a Dip or just with the Juice of a Lemon, there are three dishes I really enjoy involving Prawns.

First it is just a Prawn Skewer. Either if the Skewers are done under the Grill, upon the Griddle Pan or upon the BBQ, I like them a great deal of a lot.  A Skewer gives you a great liberty to improvise. You can of course go for the just 'All Prawns'. But you can also make the Skewer go a Palate Trip around the World.

If you go the simple way with Prawns Skewers , it is also nice to also have a simple side with them like a Salad and a Dip.

To try to give you some ideas of Prawn Skewers I will go Eastward and back to the West. Lets depart from London: Prawns, Mussels, White Onions, Diced Chunk of Cod. France: Prawns, White Onions, Scallops, Lemons, Tenderstem Broccoli. Spain: Prawns, Chorizo, Spanish Onions, Black Olives, Diced Crusty Bread. Italy: Prawns, Lemons, Red Onions, Green Olives, Red Peppers and Baby Plum Tomatoes. Greece: Prawns, Black Olives, Lemons, Red Onions and Green Peppers. And one can go on and on and on. The Combos are mind boggling and exciting.

Skewers do not have to be complicated to be enjoyable. Just alternate the ingredients to make them colourful and do not forget to serve them with a nice Dip.

The following Dish with Prawns which I love is a one Pot Wonder from Spain: The Paella. It is just a very nice and fulfilling Dish which makes you want either to dance the Flamenco or to go peacefully straight to bed and sleep contented like a baby upon a full belly.

Marcia Baila from Les Rita Mitsouko. (Music Link) 

Prawns, Mussels, Chicken upon a bed of Saffron Rice and more, it is just delicious. A Paella goes in the dishes with Prawns which tick all the boxes in my humble opinion.

The Spanish Paella.

Then I will go in a full nostalgic area, the Seventies and Eighties and mention the good old Prawn Cocktail. There is nowadays something so dainty about it which can't be explained, it is a bit like the good old Chocolate Forest Gateau, they are stamps or marks upon a couple of decades. However those recipes have been snatched to be reinterpreted over and over again. You have the Lobster version of the Prawn Coctail and so on. But the combo of Prawns, Salad, Marie Rose Sauce, Avocado, is one which does work this is why the Prawn Cocktail became a classic.

Prawn Cocktail. Served into glasses it does help to give them a little bit of allure, the 'Je ne sais quoi', le 'Va Va Voum'.

Prawns are actually a very nice way to start a meal: light, fresh and sweetly tasty. It isn't a Lobster, yes, but it isn't a Shrimp either and easier to find and buy than a Langoustine. So if you make the math you can get a lovely Starter with them.

Prawn Salad with Avocado and Rocket Leaves served with Lime.

Tiger Prawns

A Selection of Tiger Prawns