PRAWN COCKTAIL

A classic Christmas Dinner starter for us, and especially so in 2022 when we prepared a typical English Christmas Dinner for Jerome and his parents. It is a classic from the 70s, but in my books, Prawn Cocktail as never gone out of fashion and never will. This Rick Stein recipe for me is the best, and the best Marie Rose sauce. The secret ingredient is brandy, and don’t forget the sprinkle of Paprika at the end

INGREDIENTS Serve 4 as a starter

450g prawns
2 large little gems
2 spring onions
5cm piece of cucumber peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
8 10 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 teaspoon cognac
4 6 shakes of Tabasco
Lemon juice
Paprika
Lemon wedges to serve

METHOD

Peel the prawns and discard the shells.

Divide the lettuce between 4 cocktail glasses or dishes. Remove and discard the green tops of the spring onions, and finely slice the white part.

Scatter the onions over the lettuce along with the cucumber and then pile the peeled prawns on top.

Mix the mayonnaise with the tomato ketchup, Tabasco, cognac and the lemon juice.

Spoon the Mary-Rose sauce over the Prawns and sprinkle with a little paprika.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with brown bread.

Original Recipe Rick Stein