Kerkennah-style grilled prawns
This simple grilled prawn dish from Ben Tish is a great way to show off the flavour of juicy Atlantic prawns. It’s served with Tunisian kerkennaise, a fragrant, spiced spring onion and tomato sauce.
Recipe taken from Mediterra by Ben Tish (Bloomsbury, £26 Hardback) Photography © Kris Kirkham
Ben says: 'On the Kerkennah islands just off the coast of Tunisia, seafood is often paired with kerkennaise, a spiced tomato sauce with subtle chilli heat, pungent spicing and lots of spring onions, olives and capers. It is a sublime mix of Moorish and Mediterranean flavours. Use this sauce for any grilled fish, squid or octopus.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 16 large Atlantic prawns, heads removed and the tail shells peeled off
- olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 10 spring onions, white parts chopped and green ends thinly sliced
- 2 plum tomatoes, on the vine, cut into large chunks
- 1 large green chilli, trimmed, quartered lengthways and deseeded
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly ground
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly ground
- 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon
- 1 handful of pitted green olives, chopped
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- extra virgin olive oil
Equipment
- Barbecue or chargrill pan
Method
First make the sauce. Blitz the spring onion whites, tomatoes, green chilli, garlic, ground coriander, caraway and cumin seeds and vinegar together in a blender. Transfer this mixture to a bowl, stir in the spring onion greens, olives, parsley, tomato purée and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest while you heat the barbecue
- 10 spring onions, white parts chopped and green ends thinly sliced
- 2 plum tomatoes, one the vine, cut into large chunks
- 1 large green chilli, trimmed, quartered lengthways and deseeded
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly ground
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly ground
- 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon
- 1 handful of pitted green olives, chopped
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- extra virgin olive oil
Light the barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to cook so the coals turn ashen grey and are at the optimum grilling temperature. Position the grill above the coals so it gets very hot. Alternatively, heat a large ridged, cast-iron griddle pan to maximum
When you’re ready to grill, pat the prawns dry, then rub them with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill for 3 minutes on each side until the prawns change colour and are cooked through – a little charring adds a smoky flavour
- 16 large Atlantic prawns, heads removed and the tail shells peeled off
- olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Transfer the prawns to a serving platter or individual plates and spoon over some of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for everyone to help themselves
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