Nina Timm
On a culinary level, many people distinguish between shrimp and prawns on the basis of size. “Prawns” are considered to be larger, while shrimp are smaller. There is a little more to it than just this.....
Shrimp and prawns are in different suborders, indicating key biological differences between the two. Prawns are in the suborder Dendobranchiata, while shrimp are classified as Pleocyemata.You can read more about the differences here, but here in South Africa the prawns that you may find at the fishmonger include tiger, deep water, bay, and king prawns.
Most of the farmed prawns on the market originate from South-east Asia, while wild-caught prawns may come from a number of countries including Mozambique, Madagascar as well as India. Prawns are on the Orange list of WWF SASSI list.
This is starting to sound like a biology lesson so let's talk about food, ok with you? Prawns are relatively cheap these days, I remember a few years back, prawns were considered to be a luxury item on grocery lists, but these days you can get about 2 kg (about 4 pounds) for just over R100. I know it is not the biggest prawns, but a little goes a long way and I find that it can change a dish from ordinary to something really special and festive. So next time when you visit your fishmonger, grab a box, pop it in the freezer and you can add a few to your favorite paella, soups, salads and pasta recipes.
Last week I was approached by two ladies asking if will I be willing to teach them how to cook fish, Apparently their husbands like fish and they cannot cook it properly. Honestly, I think fish is the easiest thing to cook, but most people make one fatal mistake and that is to fiddle too much with the fish and to overcook it. I have learned through experience, that the less is more when it comes to fish.
Whenever I visit my fishmonger and they have fresh hake, I always get some. Fresh, flaky fillets of hake pan fried to perfection and served with only lemon and butter is hard to beat. Well at least that is what I thought. I topped the fish with a rather deconstructed Avocado Ritz and this ordinary meal changed into something really, really special.
Pan Fried Hake with Avocado Ritz
serves 4 people
Ingredients
4 fillets of fresh hake or any other line fish available
juice and zest of 1 lemon
100gr melted butter
salt/pepper
2 ripe avocados
12-16 prawns - depending on their size
½ cup good quality mayonnaise
2 tbsp cream
1½ tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp brandy
a pinch of cayenne pepper
Method
Fish - For the fish you have two options. You can pan fry it in a little butter or sometimes I place it under the grill in the oven and baste it with lemon juice and butter until it is cooked. You choose the method that works for you. Just remember when you pan fry fish, you always start with skin side down.
Prawns - Here you also have two options. One is to pan fry them in a little butter until they are completely pink. I cook my prawns in a little water with lemon juice. I mean really a little water, so that they almost steam. When they are completely pink, they are cooked and ready for use!
Pink Sauce - Mix the mayonnaise, cream, tomato sauce, brandy and cayenne pepper and keep until needed.
Avocado - Peel the avocado, cut in a fan like style and drizzle with lemon juice.
Now when all your ingredients are cooked and prepared, just assemble individual portions on your most beautiful plates.
Here are a few other ways of using prawns in ordinary dishes transforming them into something really special.
I hope you like them.
