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Spicy Prawn Cocktail

Spicy prawn cocktail is a classic starter dish in which juicy prawns are tossed in pink Marie Rose sauce with an added punch. A classic 80's starter dish that never goes out of style. You can serve it as a starter like bang bang shrimp, or as salad, or along with any main dish. 

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 195 kcal
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh prawns (king-size or jumbo-size)
  • 1 lime or lemon
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 whole black pepper corns
  • Generous pinch salt
  • 2 cups iceberg lettuce or romaine, roughly torn
Cocktail Sauce-
  • 4 tablespoon mayonnaise preferably whole egg mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce like Tabasco sauce sriracha hot sauce or any hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon horseradish finely grated creamed (I skipped)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce if you can't handle heat)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. First, make the prawn cocktail sauce. Whisk together mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, hot sauce, pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper, and dash freshly grated horseradish (if available) in a bowl. Refrigerate until use.
  2. Add salt, black peppercorns, and bay leaves to water, and bring it to a boil.
  3. Add peeled, deveined prawns to the boiling water. If you choose to use whole prawns with shells, devein the prawns before cooking. It’s so hard to devein after it’s cooked.
  4. Cook/blanch until prawns are pink, slightly firm but cooked through. It will take 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook prawns.
  5. Drain immediately well (discard peppercorns and bay leaf). Let it cool completely. You can store cooked prawns in the refrigerator ready to serve this starter.
  6. When ready to serve toss cooked prawns in Marie Rose sauce. Toss well to coat every prawn evenly in the sauce.
  7. Fill the martini or wine glass (or any other glassware) with lettuce leaves and serve cocktail sauce dolled prawns on top with lime (or lemon) wedges on the sides.Alternatively, you can use iceberg lettuce cups and serve prawns in them. If serving in lettuce cups, do not shred all lettuce leaves, keep a few lettuce cups whole.
  8. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top of prawns and enjoy!

Notes

  •  
  • Peeling prawns and deveining them needs practice. Prep time does not include peeling and deveining prawns, as I got it done from the shop where I bought prawns. If you plan to peel and devein prawns keep in mind the extra time needed to prep prawns.
  •  
  • Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
  • The secret is to use fresh prawns for the best taste. Frozen prawns when defrosted, turn watery and tasteless.
  • Use the biggest king-size raw prawns for this recipe. You don’t want to be searching for tiny prawns through the sauce.
  • Don’t overcook prawns. Nothing worse than rubbery overcooked prawns.
  • If you choose to use whole prawns with shells, devein the prawns before cooking. It’s so hard to devein it after it’s cooked.
  • Before tossing cooked prawns in sauce cool it completely.
  • Cooked prawns and cocktail rose Marie sauce can be made ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Toss prawns in sauce only before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories 195kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 16g (32%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 7g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.04g Cholesterol 149mg (50%) Sodium 1011mg (42%) Potassium 247mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 636IU (13%) Vitamin C 8mg (9%) Calcium 103mg (10%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 195

% Daily Value*

Calories 195kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 16g 32%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g 41%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.04g 2%
Cholesterol 149mg 50%
Sodium 1011mg 42%
Potassium 247mg 5%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 636IU 13%
Vitamin C 8mg 9%
Calcium 103mg 10%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.