Hairy Bikers Prawn Cocktail Recipe

No Marie Rose sauce goes into this Hairy Bikers prawn cocktail recipe, since British Classics dresses 500g of prawns in gazpacho and crème fraîche instead. And with chilli, Tabasco, lime and avocado it serves 4 at 373 calories each on the BBC’s count, and takes me 20 minutes.

“We’ve given this timeless classic a bit of a boost with some fiery Tabasco and a hit of chilli”, they write in British Classics. And the heat is the point, because a diced red chilli and eight dashes of Tabasco go through a sauce that never sees a pan.

Drain the defrosted prawns properly, because the book asks for them defrosted and drained and the sauce is only gazpacho and crème fraîche. So I find any water left on them waters that sauce down, which is why I sit them in a sieve for ten minutes first.

Hairy Bikers Prawn Cocktail Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:No Cook Cuisine:British Courses:Starter

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 20 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:373 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Defrosted Atlantic prawns are stirred through crème fraîche and ready-made gazpacho with shallot, skinned tomatoes, chilli, radishes, coriander, lime and Tabasco. Then the mixture is spooned over shredded baby gem and sliced avocado, dusted with cayenne and topped with a shell-on prawn. And nothing is cooked beyond dipping the tomatoes in just-boiled water, so I have it on the table in 20 minutes.

Ingredients

For the prawn cocktail

• 500g frozen Atlantic prawns, defrosted and drained
• 150ml ready-made gazpacho
• 150ml low-fat crème fraîche
• 1 shallot, very finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, skinned and diced
• 1 red chilli, finely diced
• 6 radishes, finely sliced
• Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 8 dashes of Tabasco
• Sea salt and black pepper

To serve

• 2 baby gem lettuces, shredded
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
• 4 pinches of cayenne pepper
• 4 large cooked prawns, heads and shells on
• 4 fresh coriander sprigs

Instructions

1. Drain: tip 500g defrosted Atlantic prawns into a sieve and leave them to drain for ten minutes while you prepare everything else. Then pat them dry with kitchen paper, which I always do before they go in the bowl.
2. Skin the tomatoes: cut a small cross in the base of 2 tomatoes, then cover with just-boiled water for 30 to 60 seconds. Then drain once the skins wrinkle, let them cool enough to handle and strip off the skins. Dice the flesh, finely dice 1 shallot and 1 red chilli, and finely slice 6 radishes.
3. Mix: put the prawns in a bowl with 150ml ready-made gazpacho and 150ml low-fat crème fraîche. Then add the shallot, tomatoes, chilli, radishes, a small bunch of chopped coriander and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Stir until well combined.
4. Season: shake in 8 dashes of Tabasco, then add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Plate: divide 2 shredded baby gem lettuces between four serving dishes and lay the sliced avocado on top. Then spoon the prawn cocktail mixture over the avocado.
6. Finish: sprinkle each dish with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Then top with a large shell-on prawn and a sprig of coriander and serve straight away.

FAQs

Is this the BBC lighter prawn cocktail with avocado?

Yes, this recipe is on BBC Food from their Everyday Gourmets series, Restaurant Revelations episode, as a lighter prawn cocktail with avocado. And the BBC list uses low-fat crème fraîche, giving 373 calories, 27g protein and 26g fat a serving, which is the count I use. So full-fat works too, since the book just says crème fraîche, but by my count it adds around 80 calories a serving.

Do the Hairy Bikers have a classic mayonnaise prawn cocktail?

They do, in Mums Know Best, where the sauce is Marie Rose style: home-made mayonnaise with ketchup, tomato purée, Tabasco, salad cream and lemon juice. Then it goes into sundae glasses two-thirds full of shredded little gem and tom berries, with a whole prawn over the edge and paprika. And for a centrepiece they make one big cocktail with lobster meat, garnished with “a whole lobster or two”, which is what the book pictures.

Which prawns do the Hairy Bikers use for prawn cocktail?

British Classics uses 500g of frozen Atlantic prawns, plus 4 large cooked prawns with heads and shells on for the top. And Mums Know Best says “Use whatever sort of prawns you like, even frozen ones”, boiling raw ones for a minute or two first. So I save raw prawns for their chilli prawn pasta, where they turn pink in the pan instead of going in cold.

Can I make prawn cocktail ahead, and how long does it keep?

Only partly, because the BBC page says serve immediately, so I mix the prawns and dressing an hour ahead at most and keep them chilled. Then I shred the lettuce and slice the avocado while the bowl waits, since a cut avocado browns on me within the hour. And leftovers I eat the next day, as neither book gives a keeping time, unlike their pork terrine which must chill overnight.

Why do the Hairy Bikers serve prawn cocktail at Christmas?

“The tradition in our household was to have prawn cocktail before the turkey every Christmas as a massive treat”, Si writes in British Classics. And Dave’s first one was at the Hotel Metropole on a 1966 trip to the Isle of Man TT races, followed by braised steak. So it is a Christmas starter first, though to my mind the gazpacho makes it a fair opener for their seafood paella.