As far as impulse buys go, super-sized prawns would seem like an unusual choice. I was picking my way through Selfridges Food Hall a few days ago, and couldn’t resist these jumbo crustaceans. Selfridges food hall has become something of a weekly indulgence of mine – the produce is excellent, and I often visit the much neglected meat and fishmonger counters to get base ingredients for many of my recipes, making sure to pick up a bag of Torres Truffle Crisps on my way out. It goes without saying, you must visit with an open mind and an open wallet – the fresh produce is Premium in quality and in cost. There are many delicious and obscure condiments, cured meats, cheeses, and sweets. I tend to do mini-shop at Selfridges weekly, and then pop across the road to the M&S Food Hall for the rest.
Unwrapping them at home, it occurred to me that I had no idea whatsoever how to prepare prawns this size – but I assumed their anatomy to be that of a king prawn (only bigger) and was mostly correct. To prepare these you need a very sharp knife, and a steady hand. I butterflied along the belly, and split them open – the perfect pearly canvas on which to paint delicious flavours.
I ended up griddling the prawns with galric butter and making a red pepper and chilli pesto to drizzle on top – Click Here for the recipe