A PRAWN FEAST AT PORT PIRIE
Location - Port Pirie
Recipe - Sundried Tomato Pesto Spencer Gulf King Prawns and 3 Ingredient Flat Bread
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5
Cook time: 15
The team at GX Outdoors who are responsible for some pretty amazing BBQ’s, tipped Denis and I off about a new install in Port Pirie, that means road trip that also means Spencer Gulf Prawns!
Broken arm and a sprained wrist aside, I thought lets make an easy no Knife recipe!
This is going to be a scissors only situation!
INGREDIENTS:
1kg King Spencer Gulf Green Prawns ( Broken, Any Green Prawns will do)
1/2 cup Greek Yoghurt
1 cup Self Raising Flour
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Sundried Tomato Pesto ( any pesto will work)
1 Bunch Basil
1 Bunch Parsley
1 Lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chilli ( optional)
Balsamic vinaigrette
INSTRUCTIONS
First things first find some fresh and local Prawns. Bigger the better. Frozen is fine. Aussie prawns especially those from the Spencer Gulf or Tiger xxl are incredible flavour filled meaty critters so the more the better. You can usually buy a bag frozen green a little cheaper. I grabbed damaged green prawns, might not be the best looking few missing tails etc but still great flavour and saved over half the price.
Snip from tail all the way through the head, split the prawn straight down the middle through the legs. We want to leave the back intake so can butterfly out nicely on the Barbie.
Using tip of scissors lift out that intestinal track, not imperative but I don’t really like eating prawn poo!
Pat dry with a paper towel, clean up the head contents.
Once you have you prawns, time to season. Flesh side up. Very lightly quick squirt extra virgin olive oil. Slight sprinkle cracked pepper. Save the salt, well add at end in case your pesto is a little salty for your needs.
Sun dried Pesto, you can use any pesto however I am looking forward to mopping this up with all those prawn juices with our flat bread so those woody nut flavours the tart tomato, and the hard cheese is
really going to be delicious. Lucia’s an absolute icon in our South Australian food scene so I’m looking forward to using their Pesto.
Get that Aussie Park Barbie turned on and fired up!
Sit prawns aside.
Flat bread time. 1 cup self raising flour, ½ cup Greek yogurt and 1 pinch salt all in a bowl or combined on a board. Mix till a dry loose mix. It’ll come together so no stress don’t add any more yogurt.
Start Kneading. This won’t take long, kneed till together and dough has a smooth appearance. Let sit for 2 mins, if there is a bit of a breeze slightly cover.
Lightly flour chopping board. Cut dough into two. Flatten by hand, grab your tin spray or if you have a rolling pin , drink bottle, wine bottle you name it lets roll our your dough. We are aiming for around 3-4mm thick, its rustic don’t stress about perfect circles.
Sit aside while we get our prawns on. Shell side down hot barbie. Now grab a brush or spoon and start pasting that thick pesto all over the prawns.
These wont take long, as soon as you paste your pesto on grab your flat bread and go straight onto the barbie.
The prawns will start to turn white as the shells will start to turn red. I would recommend cooking these a little further than I would usually de shelled prawns. Prawn meat will pull further away from the shell the longer they are cooked and prawns are very forgiving cooked this way.
Once meat is white and cooked, pesto will be fragrant shells will be red lets take them off the barbie and straight onto your serving plate.
Flat bread will only need 2 mins either side it’ll cook quick, lightly toasted or char it a little further up to your taste.
Grab some herbs, parsley, fresh basil chop over prawns. Quick sprinkle of a good quality sea salt, fresh or ground chili if desired ( iv gone for ground ) Extra virgin olive oil quick splash. I have splashed some balsamic vinegar glaze this will taste amazing with the pesto mopped up with our charred yoghurt flat bread. Last little bit of a few dashes of pesto to get picked up and some fresh lemon ready for a squeeze!
Its amazing what you can cook on an Aussie park barbie and you can do it with just a chopping board and a pair of scissors!