ELIZE’S PRAWN THERMIDOR
An enjoyable dinner for the festive season! I must admit this was a winner.
- 12 Tiger prawns
- 125 ml butter
- 2 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fish spice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- pepper to taste
- no salt, it is a salty dish
Devein prawns and remove legs, lay down on back and butterfly from bottom.
Keep two whole for garnish.
Melt the butter on defrost in microwave oven, mix in the garlic, lemon juice and fish spice.
Dip each prawn in the melted butter mix and layer in a tray.
Season with pepper.
Drizzle remaining butter over the prawns.
Refrigerate for 30 min or more. Prawns must be baked the same day.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ºC for 15 min. Turn after 7 min.
Remove shell and heads only now from the prawns, never shell prawns before baking, the flavour is in the heads and shell. Keep your whole ones unpeeled.
Place the prawns in 2 dishes and set aside.
- THERMIDOR SAUCE
- 1 heaped tablespoon butter
- 2 heaped tablespoons cake flour
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 sachet liquid fish stock
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 cup boiling water
- 50 ml fresh cream
- extra milk if needed
- ½ teaspoon of paprika powder (not smoked)
- 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon fish spice
- 20 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated cheddar/tussers cheese
- grind of black pepper
Dissolve the fish stock in the cup of boiling water, add all the spices and mix well.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour mix into a roux and then gradually stir in the fish stock mixture, cream, garlic and mayonnaise.
Keep on stirring; add half the cheddar cheese and mix until the cheese is melted.
If your sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Careful the sauce must be thick. Lastly stir in the parsley.
Pour the sauce evenly over the prawns.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and parmesan and brown under the grill.
Garnish with the whole prawns and extra parsley.
Serve immediately while hot.
Variations:
Mussels, hake, crayfish or mixed seafood can be used instead of prawns.
We served this with fried rice.
Recipe and photo: Elize de Kock
