Ultimate prawn cocktail
The prawn cocktail earns its place when the prawns are cooked fresh and the sauce is made, never squeezed from a bottle. King prawns poached for minutes, a Marie Rose lifted with Worcestershire and paprika, and glasses lined with avocado. Six starters, fifteen minutes.
Our counter version of the ultimate prawn cocktail Ailsa Brown created for Sainsbury's Magazine, with the sauce made from scratch and the prawns cooked to order.
Ingredients
- 450g raw king prawns, peeled
- 200g good mayonnaise
- 50g tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
- Large pinch of paprika
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, shredded
- Large pinch of cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the prawns and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until pink and just cooked through. Drain and spread on a plate to cool.
- Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and paprika together. Season and taste. It should be gently smoky and sharp, never sweet.
- Fold the cooled prawns through the sauce.
- Line six glasses with slices of avocado, add a nest of shredded Little Gem to each and spoon the prawns on top.
- Finish each glass with a pinch of cayenne and serve straight away with lemon wedges.
Get ahead: cook the prawns and make the sauce hours before and keep both cold. Fold together and build the glasses at the last minute so the lettuce stays crisp.
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From the counter: king prawns, with Atlantic prawns as the smaller sweeter alternative. More in our king prawn guide.
