Last week I was having family over for drinks and appetizers, and I wanted to serve the B.C. spot prawn tails I had purchased. It was a very warm day and I thought two cold preparations of those prawns would suit that kind of weather.
On that note, I ended up preparing the prawns in two quite different ways. One, ebi-style spot prawn nigiri sushi, was Japanese in style, the other, mini spot prawn and asparagus cocktails, North American in style.
Topping oblong pads of cooked, seasoned, cooled sushi rice with seafood and other items is how nigiri sushi is made. In this case, of course, that seafood was spot prawns, that I cooked, peeled and prepared ebi-style, by butterflying them. Doing that allows the prawns to sit flat and become something that can be tastily draped on the pads of rice.
My other recipe is a mini version of the prawn (shrimp) cocktail that’s been served in North American fine-dining restaurants for eons. To make those cocktails, cooked, cooled and peeled spot prawns, and blanched, cooled spears of asparagus, were set in and on small, shooter-style glasses filled with Louie sauce. Louie sauce is like a mayonnaise-based version of cocktail sauce, with a tangy, rich flavour that compliments the taste of the prawns and asparagus.
The season to buy fresh B.C. spot prawns is not long and will end sometime this month.
In my recipes, I also give you the option to thaw and use frozen spot tails, a high quality product sold at seafood stores and some grocery stores. You could also use other types of medium to large prawns in the recipes.
Ebi-style Spot Prawn Nigiri Sushi
Nigiri sushi made by topping small balls of prepared sushi with cooked, cooled, peeled and butterflied B.C. spot prawns. Serve the sushi as an appetizer, or as part of a meal, with other Japanese-style dishes.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: About 22 minutes
Makes: 18 pieces of sushi
18 spot prawn tails, fresh or thawed from frozen (see Eric’s options)
1⁄2 tsp salt, plus some to taste
1 1⁄4 cups sushi rice
1 3⁄4 cups cold water
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1⁄2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 green onion, very thinly sliced
• wasabi paste, to taste
• soy sauce and pickled ginger, to taste
Stretch out and straighten one of the spot prawns. Now insert a small skewer into the open end of the prawn so it holds that straight shape. Repeat these steps with the remaining prawns.
Fill a large, wide skillet three quarters full with water, set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. While water is coming to a boil, fill a wide bowl with ice water.
When water in the skillet is boiling, sprinkle in some salt, to taste, and then add half the prawns and cook about 90 seconds, or until just cooked through. Use tongs to lift the prawns out of the skillet and into the ice water. Cook and cool the remaining prawns the same way you did the first batch.
Remove the skewer from each prawn. Now carefully peel each prawn, leaving the tip of the tail intact. Turn one of the prawns belly side up. Now use a very sharp paring knife to make a lengthwise slit about three quarters the way thorough the prawn. Carefully open up and butterfly the prawn where you made the slit, and then set the prawn, belly side down, on a wide plate. Butterfly the remaining prawns as you did the first one and set them on the plate, too. Cover and refrigerate the prawns until needed for the sushi.
Place the rice in a small pot (my pot was six inches wide and five inches tall). Cover rice with cold water. Use your hands and rub the grains together to remove excess outer starch from the rice kernels. Pour rice into a sieve and let water drain five minutes.
Place rice back in the pot and add the 1 3⁄4 cups cold water. Bring the rice to a boil over high heat, and then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and steam the rice until tender, 15 minutes.
While the rice cooks, place the vinegar, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a second small pot. Bring to a boil for a few seconds and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.
When it’s cooked, spoon and spread the rice into a large, shallow-sided pan. Stir in the vinegar mixture and then cool the rice to room temperature.
Moisten your hands with cold water. Shape the rice into 18 oblong balls (pads), each about three inch long, and set on a serving tray. Re-wet your hands as needed during this process.
Top each pad of rice with a dab (1/4 tsp or so) of wasabi paste. (The wasabi will act as the glue that holds the prawn on to the rice).
Then drape each pad of rice with one of the butterflied prawns. The sushi could be prepared to this point a few hours in advance. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
When ready to serve the sushi, uncover, sprinkle prawns with green onions, and serve with pickled ginger, additional wasabi and soy sauce, for dipping the sushi into.
Eric’s options: If you can’t find spot prawns, other types of medium to large prawns or shrimp will also work in this recipe.
Mini Spot Prawn and Asparagus Cocktails with Louie Sauce
Elegant, mini seafood cocktails made with cooked, cooled, peeled BC spot prawns and in-season asparagus.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: About 22 minutes
Makes: 10 mini cocktails
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cider vinegar or rice vinegar
• splash Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
• tiny pinch onion powder and garlic powder
• salt to taste
20 spot prawn tails, fresh or thawed from frozen (see Eric’s options)
30 trimmed asparagus spears, each about 5-inches long
10 small lemon slices
Make Louie sauce by combining mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, horseradish, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, Tabasco, onion powder and garlic powder in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate sauce until needed.
Fill a medium- to large-sized pot three quarters full with water, set over medium-high heat and bring to boil. While water is coming to a boil, fill a wide bowl with ice water. When water in the pot is boiling, sprinkle in some salt, to taste, and then add the prawns and cook about 90 seconds, or until just cooked through. Use tongs to lift the prawns out of the pot and into the ice water. Add asparagus to the boiling water you cooked the prawns in and cook one to two minutes, until bright green and just tender. Drain asparagus well, and then cool in the ice water with the prawns.
Lift the asparagus out of the ice water, let drain, and then set on a wide plate. Remove prawns from the water and peel each one, leaving the tip of the tail intact. Set prawns on the plate with the asparagus. Cover and refrigerate prawns and asparagus until ready to make the cocktails. They, and the Louie sauce, can be prepared many hours in advance.
To make the cocktails, spoon a tablespoon or so of the Louie sauce into the bottom of each of 10 small, shooter-sized glasses. Set and stand three asparagus in each glass. Now hook two prawns on the rim of each glass. Garnish each cocktail with a lemon slice and serve.
Eric’s options: If you can’t find spot prawns, other types of medium to large prawns or shrimp also work in this recipe.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
