Coconut Prawns Fricassee with Couscous stuffed Dates

I love prawns; they’ve been my favourite seafood for as long as I can remember. Of all the different prawns available out there, my absolute favourite has to be the Tiger. Why? Well, first and foremost is the flavour. You just can’t beat a perfectly cooked Tiger Prawn.

So, after a recent visit to our local fish monger and a challenge to my wife to come up with something a little bit exotic, this recipe, Coconut Prawns Fricassee served with Couscous stuffed Dates is what we ended up with. I have to admit, I was impressed.

Ingredients

6 cooked large Tiger Prawns
6 Dates
50g couscous
Juice of 3 limes
Zest of 1 lime
20g yellow curry paste
200ml coconut milk
A few mint leaves shredded finely
20g unsalted cashew nuts, finely crushed
A knob of butter
1 zucchini finely sliced
4 green asparagus spears
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Prepare the asparagus, remove the tips and shave the stems using a potato peeler

Place the couscous in a bowl with the lime juice. Allow the couscous to sit for about 5 minutes.

While the couscous is soaking, remove the stones from the dates by making a small incision on the side.

Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the couscous and stir with a fork before adding the shredded mint and mixing.

Then stuff the dates by placing a teaspoon of the couscous mixture inside before setting them aside.

Peel and devein the prawns before setting them aside in the refrigerator. The prawn shells can be thrown away but make sure to keep the prawn heads.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the prawn heads. Make sure they get coloured on each side.

Add the coconut milk. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the lime zest, the cashew nuts and the curry paste.

Stir well and let simmer for a further couple of minutes before removing from the heat.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve to remove the prawn heads and any other lumps.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the slices of zucchini, brown them a little before seasoning and removing from the heat.

Add the asparagus shavings to the pan and toss them around to warm them through before seasoning and setting aside.

Using the same frying pan, add the prawn tails and warm them through. They are already cooked so this will only take half a minute or so.

On the plate, place a few asparagus shavings; then add the zucchini slices forming a rosette.

Add the prawns on the top of the warm salad. Add two or three dates to the plate as well as a couple of the asparagus tips.

Finally, finish off by adding a little sauce and serving while the prawns are still warm.

Total Preperation Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2