Double the chilli flavour with Peri peri Prawns
Prawns with Lemon, peri peri, garlic and feta
Aah delicious delicious prawns! Spiced with the full-potency chilli known as peri peri (or piri piri) used often in South Africa and parts of India! I have to admit when I first looked at my peri peri spices I was just a tad frightened. They look SO hot! There are visible chilli flake chunks in the blend of spices. Not to mention the word “HOT” is emblazoned on the front of the peri peri spices. And for those wondering what is actually IN peri peri, it is a blend of chilli, paprika, cumin, salt, ginger, lemon.
Anyways, whilst cleaning the prawns I attempted to count how many legs they had, you know, as you do. Probably more difficult as some of the legs had met unfortunate disconnected ends. I thought I counted twenty, but then I checked some references, and apparently either I can’t count or the prawn I was holding was a mutant being, because prawns are in fact decapod crustaceans, which means that they have only 10 legs! Not too sure where I got the other ten from. Another odd fact about prawns is that they start their 4 year existence as males and then change into females for their final year of life! Talk about experiencing everything in a short amount of time!
So after much cooking, surprisingly, I didn’t find the prawns ‘too’ hot afterwards. Must have tastebuds of steel! But never fear those of you who are scared of chilli. You can of course, adjust the amount of peri peri to taste; the chilli is not meant to be too overpowering. The sauce of lemon, garlic, parsley and feta goes really well with the prawns too! Making for some very tasty eating! Mmmmmmmmmmm….
Prawns with Lemon, peri peri, garlic and feta
Ingredients: ˝ kg large raw green prawns, 100g butter, 5 garlic cloves finely chopped, ˝ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, juice of 2 lemons, 150g feta cheese, 1 tsp peri peri spice (or chilli powder)
Steps: Clean the prawns cut a slit through the shell down the back from the bottom of the head to the beginning of the tail. Remove the dark vein with the point of a sharp knife. Rinse the prawns under running water and drain well. Then sprinkle salt along this line and set aside.
Dot about 50g of the butter over the base of a large casserole dish. Arrange a single layer of prawns in the dish, season with salt, then scatter half of the parsley and garlic over the top. Sprinkle with a little peri peri.
Dot the remaining butter over the top and arrange another layer of prawns, scatter the garlic, parsley and peri peri. Put the lid on, and cook for 10 minutes in a hot oven, 200 degrees Celsius, until the prawns have brightened up a lot and their flesh is white.
Add the lemon juice, crumble the feta on the top and spoon some sauce over the prawns. Cover the casserole dish, and cook for another 10 minutes or until the feta has just melted. Serve immediately and rinse fingers in a hot finger bowl with lemon juice to clean hands afterwards.
Serves 2
