Prawn ‘sizzle’ with bay & fennel

Ingredients

• 250g small new potatoes, skin on
• A large handful of samphire
• 1 tbsp butter
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 6 fresh bay leaves
• ½ bulb fennel, finely sliced
• ½ red chilli, finely sliced
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 200g raw, shell-on king prawns
• 50ml white wine
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Cook your potatoes in plenty of boiling salted water, until tender – about 12-15 mins. My test for this is to pierce one with the tip of a sharp knife, and if it slips off the blade easily, they are done. Once tender, add the samphire into the water and blanch for a minute or so, until softened. Drain off the water and throw in a knob of butter. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and keep warm while you make the sizzle.

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan or, better still, a cast iron skillet, over a medium to high heat. Add the bay, fennel, chilli, lemon zest and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes to infuse the oil with all those lovely flavours.

Add in the prawns and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until the shells have changed colour and are starting to caramelise, then deglaze with the wine, cooking for about 1 min, until it’s evaporated.

Drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and serve with the potatoes, samphire and crusty bread for mopping up those juices.

Image: Helen Cathcart