fine dining experience

Charred prawns in a sweet aubergine sauce

Marinate your prawns for at least a few hours, but overnight is best.

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 large bunches of fresh basil
  • 2 fresh red chillies
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • olive oil
  • 16 king prawns, from sustainable sources
  • 1 kg ripe tomatoes , on the vine
  • 2 aubergines
  • 1 teapsoon dried oregano

Directions

  1. To make a marinade, peel and pop 2 of the garlic cloves in a blender. Pick in most of the basil leaves (finely chop and reserve the stalks), 1 of the chillies, the red wine vinegar and a lug of oil. Season lightly and blitz to a paste.
  2. Remove the prawn shells, leaving the tails on. Butterfly the prawns by cutting along the back of each, and opening them up like a book.
  3. Place into a bowl, add the basil paste, and mix well to coat. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours, or ideally overnight.
  4. Score a cross in the top of each tomato, pop them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them for a minute or so, until the skin starts to peel away.
  5. Drain the tomatoes and leave to cool slightly, then peel off the skins (discard them) and roughly chop the flesh. Set aside.
  6. Just before you want to cook the prawns, prepare your sauce. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add a lug of oil. Chop the aubergines into 3cm cubes, then fry for 10 minutes, or until golden and starting to soften, stirring frequently.
  7. Deseed and finely slice the remaining chilli, then peel and finely slice the rest of the garlic. Add both into the pan, followed by the oregano and basil stalks. Fry for a few minutes, then stir in the tomatoes.
  8. Add a few splashes of water, bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat a little and keep it simmering for about 30 minutes, until the aubergine has cooked down and the sauce is thick.
  9. Just before the sauce is done, place a griddle pan over a high heat. Once it’s screaming hot, cook your prawns for 1½ minutes on each side, until charred, pink and cooked. Drop the prawns into the sauce as you go.
  10. Stir the remaining basil leaves into the sauce, then serve it topped with a few rocket leaves, if you like.