Seafood

King Prawns in Butter with Soft and Crispy Garlic

Ingredients:

-        8 king prawns in NZ size U15, about 18 cm or 7 inches long  

-        2 bulbs of garlic for crispy garlic

-        8 cloves of garlic for frying

-        30 grammes of butter, natural

-        1 teaspoon of flaky seasalt  or ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt.

-        1 stalk of coriander

-        Oil for deep frying

Method:

1.      Chopped finely the 2 bulbs of garlic and the 8 cloves of garlic but set them aside separately. Chop also the coriander but leave a few for garnish.

2.      Heat the saucepan or wok in medium/high heat and put enough oil for deep frying. When the oil becomes hot, turn the heat to medium and deep fry the minced garlic from the 2 bulbs. Turn off the heat when the garlic started to turn colour, just use the residual heat to finish frying the garlic.  When they totally turn golden, take the garlic out with a slotted spoon and drain all excess oil. Set aside and let them cool down completely.  You can also buy readymade crispy garlic from Asian grocery.

3.      Clean the prawn, slit open the back to half way and take out the vein, keep the head intact as photo above. Drain and dry them well with kitchen towels. You may want to trim the legs and the spiky mouth bits off.

4.      Heat up the wok or pan in high heat, when hot, put the prawns in and spread them apart and turn the heat to low. When the underside  of the prawns start to dry up and change colour slightly, turn them to the other side.  This is to make sure the prawns are dry enough for cooking.  When both sides change colour, take them out from the wok/pan.

5.      Return the wok/pan to medium high heat, put 2 tablespoons of oil from deep frying the garlic, add half of the butter, when the butter melts, put in the minced garlic from the 8 cloves and sautéed them for 10 seconds, put the prawns in and sautéed for 2 to 3 minutes when the prawns are half cooked. Add the other half of the butter and the salt, turn the heat to low and cover the work/pan with a lid. Let the prawns cover for another 2 to 3 minutes or till they are just cookedWhen they are just cooked, add the chopped coriander and stir them evenly onto the prawns. Put the prawns on a serving plate, sprinkle the crispy garlic on the top and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Hint:

-        Make sure you select the prawns that are with their head intact and have sheen/lustre  on their shell,  these indicate the freshness of the prawn. Live prawns will be the best choice.

-        The slit not just facilitate taking out the vein, it also helps to allow the prawns to cook through evenly. They are more easy to peel with knife and fork.

-        Butter is very easy to be burnt, mixing with another kind of oil will help to avoid burning so easily.

-        Do not overcook the prawn, it will be dry and rubbery. When just cooked, the colour of the meat will turn completely white and the head is still intact with the orange roe in the head starts to set but not completely set. If the head is off, it is either overcooked or the prawn is not fresh.

-         You can buy readymade crispy garlic from Asian Grocery, or you can make more than 2 bulbs so that you can save some for future use.  Just make sure you dry and cool down the garlic thoroughly and store them in a air tight jar.