Prawn cocktail recipe

I like revisiting ideas and recipes, which is why this is the fourth version of prawn cocktail on this site (1, 2, 3).

Ingredients (for 8 portions).

• 1 portion of Marie Rose sauce (see below)
• 8 large uncooked prawns - peeled and deveined (I used King prawns)
• Half of a ripe avocado
• Juice of half a lemon
• Half a small shallot - finely diced
• Tabasco
• 8 inner leaves of a Cos lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes - peeled, de-seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, finely diced

How?

Four processes. First the sauce. Make a mayonnaise - I now use one whole egg (egg white and yolk), half a teaspoon of mustard, 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper and 120mls of olive oil. Rather than the age old process of slowly adding oil and emulsifying with a whisk, I add everything to a container and use a stab mixer until the right consistency is reached (usually within 20-30 seconds). To the mayonnaise stir in 50-60mls of ketchup and a few drops of Tabasco.

With the avocado - make a simple guacaomle. Add the avocado, lemon juice and shallot and process with stab blender till a smooth paste. Taste and correct flavours.

Third, peel, de-seed and finely dice the tomatoes, dress with the chopped chives and olive oil.

Finally cook the peeled prawns in a pot of boiling water. Remove once cooked - after about 60 seconds and refresh in a bowl of very cold water, before setting aside the prawns.

Construction. As illustrated. Place a spoonful of guacamole on the lettuce leaf, position a prawn and dress with the sauce and a spoon of the tomato mixture.