COOK PORTUGUESE
Drunken Prawns (Prawns Nacional)
This beloved Mozambique style dish uses some of my favourite ingredients from the Portuguese table – prawns, chilli and beer. I have yet to encounter someone who does not lick their fingers from the first taste, right to the very last swipe of the bread through the sauce. Perfect for a lazy weekend at the beach when everyone can tuck in and enjoy. You can adjust the heat according to your taste by using less chilli. I would say this is medium heat, yet super tasty.
Serves 4-6
1 kg prawns with shells on but deveined
50 ml lemon juice
5 ml salt
10 ml peri-peri sauce (recipe below)
80 ml olive oil
2 bay leaves
5 ml paprika
10 ml garlic crushed
1 red chilli cut in to 1 cm pieces
50g butter
1 onion chopped
160 ml Portuguese beer (Super Bock or Sagres)
125 ml cream
Coriander or parsley for serving
Combine the lemon juice, salt, peri-peri sauce, bay leaves, paprika, garlic and chilli.
Rub into prawns and allow them to marinade for 30 to 60 minutes.
Melt the butter and fry the onion in a large pan until soft. Remove from pan.
Add the prawns to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes until the shell has crisped a bit.
Return onions to the pan with the prawns, stir in beer and cream and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and simmer sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is reduced and thickened.
Return the prawns and sprinkle with coriander or parsley.
Enjoy with a couple of ice-cold beers or a nice crisp Rose and thick crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Peri-peri Sauce
10g African red devil chillies, very finely chopped, or chilli paste
5 cloves garlic, crushed
25 ml finely chopped coriander
125 ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Mix the ingredients together in a bottle and shake well.
Make the sauce and store it in the fridge; the flavour improves with age, reaching its peak at two weeks. DM