Compressed watermelon and king prawn curry

Not yet rated

A delicious prawn curry recipe from Michelin starred chef Simon Hulstone. The watermelon is compressed in a chamber sealer to give it a more dense, substantial texture, providing a perfect contrast to the crunchy, potato wrapped prawns. Take care when reheating the sauce as any further cooking once the watermelon is added may cause the sauce to split and the melon to go soggy.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Watermelon curry

Deep-fried prawns

To garnish

Equipment

  • Vacuum bags
  • Chamber sealer
  • Spiralizer
  • Deep-fryer

Method

1
To begin, peel the watermelon and slice into 2cm thick pieces. Transfer the pieces to a vacuum bag and vacuum on full in a chamber sealer until tight and compressed
2
Remove the compressed watermelon from the bag and cut into 2cm squares, trying to avoid the pips as much as possible. Place the leftover watermelon trimmings in a blender and blitz until puréed. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside
3
For the curry sauce, sweat the curry powder and coriander seeds in a little butter for 2 minutes. Add 200ml of watermelon juice and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes, strain and set aside
4
In a small saucepan, whisk the remaining butter and watermelon juice until it forms a sauce-like consistency. Add a squeeze of lemon and season with salt to taste
5
Preheat a deep-fryer to 180°C
  • oil, for frying
6
To prepare the prawns, use a spiralizer to make long strings of potato. Wrap the potato strings around each prawn and deep fry until golden brown and cooked through. Season with salt and set aside until ready to serve
7
Gently reheat the sauce in a small pan. Mix in the diced watermelon and chopped coriander and remove from the heat
8
To serve, pour the curry into a bowl and top with the crispy prawns. Garnish with the micro basil and serve
First published in 2015

Simon Hulstone's aesthetically pleasing and rewarding cuisine can be found in Torquay at The Elephant, which holds a Michelin star.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.