Southern-fried prawns
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus chilling
- More effort
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- ½ bunch of coriander, leaves picked, to serve
- 1 lemon, zested (optional) and cut into wedges to serve
For the prawns
- 100ml buttermilk
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 18 jumbo raw prawns, head left on, tails peeled, butterflied
For the coating
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 50g cornflakes, crushed to fine crumbs
Method
- STEP 1
To prepare the prawns, mix the buttermilk, garlic granules and ground ginger together in a bowl. Add the prawns and stir to coat, then chill for at least 30 mins or overnight.
- STEP 2
Meanwhile, make the coating by combining all of the ingredients with a pinch of salt in a shallow dish. Set aside.
- STEP 3
Allow any excess buttermilk marinade to drip off the prawns, then dip in the coating mixture, turning to ensure an even covering.
- STEP 4
Heat a deep-fat fryer no more than a third full of oil to 180C. Or, heat the oil to a depth of 10cm in a pan until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden in 30 seconds. Carefully lower 3-4 prawns into the oil at a time and deep-fry for 2 mins, or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper using a slotted spoon, then season and sprinkle with the coriander leaves and lemon zest, if you like. Serve with the hot gumbo dip (see below) and some lemon wedges for squeezing over.
