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