Barbecue Prawns Marinated in Chilli & Soy

INGREDIENTS

500g raw tiger prawns,

peeled but tails intact

250g cherry vine tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large green sweet pepper,

de-seeded and cut into 3-cm chunks

2 red jalapeños, de-seeded and cut

into 1-cm pieces

watercress and toasted pita bread,

to serve

Marinade

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 red chilli, de-seeded and

finely chopped

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

grated zest and freshly squeezed

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

Fresh aïoli

2 large egg yolks

4 very fresh garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp Dijon mustard

150 ml good-quality light olive oil

freshly squeezed juice of 1⁄2 lemon

medium sealable plastic food bag

8 wooden skewers,

soaked in water overnight

gas or charcoal barbecue

METHOD
To make the marinade, mix together all the ingredients and blend to a smooth purée using a hand blender.
Put the prawns in the sealable food bag and pour in the marinade. Seal securely. Shake vigorously and when all the prawns look well coated, refrigerate, still in the bag, for about two hours.

Put the tomatoes and half the olive oil in a small saucepan and gently warm for 5 minutes, or just long enough for the tomatoes to start to soften. Remove from the heat and let cool.

To make the fresh aioli, beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with a balloon whisk. Add the garlic and mustard and beat through. While beating the mixture, slowly add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. When all the oil has been added, the aïoli should have a smooth, velvety appearance. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and gently stir through. Refrigerate until needed.

Light your barbecue. Always do this in plenty of time to have built up a good bed of hot ashes or charcoal that have burnt down to a white glow with no visible flames. This normally takes about 45 minutes from lighting.

Take the refrigerated prawns out of the bag and place on a plate, reserving any remaining marinade.
Thread the marinated prawns, tomatoes, sweet pepper and jalapeños onto the skewers in a repeating sequence and continue until all 8 skewers are filled. Make sure you allow for enough of each ingredient on each skewer, and leave enough space at the ends of the skewers to handle when on the barbecue.

In a small bowl, loosen the reserved marinade with 1–2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil. Using a pastry brush, liberally coat the skewers with the marinade just before placing on the barbecue.

Cook for a couple of minutes on each side until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through. Serve with watercress, toasted pita bread and a good dollop of fresh aioli.

As featured in The Red Hot Chilli Cookbook by Dan May. Published courtesy of Ryland, Peters & Small