Australian Gourmet Traveller - (11)November 2020 (1)

T

heprawncocktailis,

quitepossibly,oneof

themosticonicdinner

partydishesinrecent

history; see-sawing,asNigelSlater

oncewrote,“fromtheheightof

fashiontothelaughablypassé”.

ItspopularityinBritaincanbe

tracedbacktochefandfood

writerFannyCradock,whofirst

publisheda recipeforthedish

in1967.However,itsoriginsare

believedtostemfromtheUnited

Statesandthe1920sProhibition

era.Today, theretroappetiser

continuestoappearonmenus

invariousguisesbutalwayswith

that signature Marie Rose sauce.

SKSteakandOyster

inBrisbanesticks

totradition,with

Mooloolabakingprawns,

iceberglettuceand

a dollopofMarieRose

sauce.TheGidleyin

Sydneyservesa spicy,

decadentversion,

accompaniedbyfour

golden,deep-friedprawn

heads on the side.

THEGREENS

Cosorgemlettuceleaves

arebestforthejoband

shouldbecrisp,crunchy

andstraightfromthe

heart;theyaddanother

layeroftexture,acting

asa fresh,textural

counterparttothesauce.

Avocado,whilenotstrictly

traditional,hasbecome

anotherpopularaddition,

offeringa softcreaminess

thatpairswiththe

sweetnessoftheprawns.

Find

one

Thisclassicseafoodstarterisa party

pleaser that will never go out of style.

THEPRAWNS

Steerclearofsmall,waterycrustaceans;this

dishcallsforplumpkingprawns,largeenough

todangleovertheedgeoftheglasstheyadorn.

Good-qualityprawnsarea must– theyshould

beslightlyfirmwitha sweet,lingeringflavour

andbutteryrichness.Mostrecipescallforthem

tobecooked,peeledanddried.

THESAUCE

Nottobeconfusedwith

ThousandIslanddressing,

theoriginalMarieRosesauce

is madefrommayonnaise,

tomatosauceandlemonjuice.

Worcestershiresauce,Tabasco

orhorseradishcanbeaddedfor

heat,whilesomerecipessuggest

a dashofCognacorbrandy

tobringa sweeteredge.

Prawn cocktail

GOURMET TRAVELLER 45

WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH. PHOTOGRAPHY WILLIAM MEPPEM. STYLING EMMA KNOWLES.

Anatomy of a dish