12

60 ml (¼ cup) canola or other

neutral-flavoured oil

5 garlic cloves, finely

chopped

1-2 long red chillies, thinly

sliced

1 kg green Australian prawns,

such as king prawns, peeled

and deveined, tails intact

1 cup (loosely packed) Thai

basil, plus extra to serve

Lime cheeks, to serve

Easy Christmas prawns

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 10 MINS // COOK 5 MINS

“This time of year is synonymous with the trusty prawn, and

they’ve been making an appearance at our family Christmas

for years when basil and chilli are also at their finest,” says

Hamilton. “This relaxed dish can be done on a barbecue or

a cooktop, it doesn’t really matter, just make sure you share

it on a sunny day with people you like. The rest is simple.”

1 Preheat a barbecue flat-plate,

a large wok or a deep frying

pan to high. Add oil, then add

garlic and stir-fry until light

golden (10-20 seconds). Add

chilli and stir-fry until tender

(10 seconds), then add prawns

and toss to combine. Season

to taste and continue to stir-fry

until prawns are opaque and

just cooked (2-3 minutes).

Add basil, toss until wilted

(5-10 seconds), then serve

prawns immediately with

lime cheeks and extra basil.

Beer suggestionPrawns

and beer were meant to

be together, so grab an IPA –

something fruity like Fixation

Squish, dripping with citrus.

250 gm skinless fillet of kingfish

or Australian salmon,

pin-boned and bloodline

removed, cut into 1cm dice

1 green jalapeño or long green

chilli, finely diced

1 tbsp thinly sliced coriander

stalks

1 finger lime, halved

crossways

Juice of ½ lime (or to taste),

plus lime wedges to serve

50 gm(1⁄4 cup) pineapple,

cut into 1cm dice

12 betel leaves (see note),

or 24 large perilla leaves,

to serve

FRIED-SHALLOT OIL

250 ml (1 cup) canola or other

neutral-flavoured oil

4 red or golden shallots,

thinly sliced

Kingsh crudo with pineapple

and betel leaves

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 15 MINS

“At Liberté, we use the sustainable, but often misunderstood,

Australian salmon, which is abundant in the west at this time

of year. Kingfish is a great alternative,” says Hamilton. “Use both

the fried shallots, and the oil, in this dish.”Pictured p97.

1 For fried-shallot oil, heat oil in

a saucepan over medium heat.

Add shallot, reduce heat to low,

and cook, stirring often, until

golden and crisp (10-15 minutes).

Strain through a metal sieve,

reserving oil, then drain on

paper towels.

2 Combine kingfish, jalapeño

and coriander stalks in a bowl,

squeeze in finger lime pearls,

then add lime juice, pineapple

and 1 tbsp fried-shallot oil.

Season to taste and serve with

betel leaves, reserved fried

shallots and lime wedges.

NoteBetel leaves are available

from select Asian grocers.

Wine suggestionGreat

Southern riesling.

100 GOURMET TRAVELLER