Skills you will learn in this recipe
Cooking prawns; making a classic Caesar dressing & salad
Links to the last recipe
Flavouring with garlic, Parmesan & parsley; having a ‘star’ key ingredient
This tasty roast prawns with Caesar salad has two restaurant inspirations! One from Cape Town in the 2000s & one from Tijuana in the 1920s.
Cape Town is rightly renowned for its seafood, and has many excellent fish restaurants. One that Emily particularly liked is called Baia, and has been selling great seafood – especially shellfish – for over 25 years. She loved their simple langoustine & king prawn platter so much that she tried to replicate it at home. This was the result!
Langoustines are delicious, but generally not found outside fishmongers, and they can be very expensive. So today we’re just using the cheaper & readily-available king prawns. We roast them hot & fast with garlic, chilli & parsley, and serve with a lemon vinaigrette (a nod to Baia’s lemon dipping sauce). This makes a lovely light dish or starter in its own right, with some bread to mop up the delicious juices. But for a main course, pair with a salad and you have the perfect prawn heaven. We particularly like it with a classic Caesar salad.
We love a Caesar salad, but there are seemingly as many subtle variations of it as there are cooks! All agree on the basics – romaine lettuce, Parmesan, garlic & lemon. But many feature croutons, and some do not. Most feature anchovies, either in the dressing or whole in the salad, but some – including the original – don’t. Some are made with egg yolk & oil; some with mayonnaise. Some add mustard; many do not. Most grate the Parmesan; some shave it. And some mix it into the salad, and some into the dressing. Plus many other variations besides!
Today, we’re going to give you two methods for what we think is a great classic Caesar. In one, we’ll do as the original did, and make an emulsion with egg yolk and oil for the dressing. In the other, we’ll flavour up mayonnaise as the base instead. The first way is more classic, and to us gives the best result. The second is much easier, and also good if you can’t (or don’t want to) use raw egg.
We do love anchovies in a Caesar salad, but today we’re not using them. If we were serving the salad alone as a light meal or starter, we’d put them in (we prefer a few layered into the salad rather than in the dressing, where we use Worcestershire sauce instead, as did the original). But today we want the prawns to star, so we’re making the salad less salty and less fishy to act as a better partner to them.
Jake sticks his nose in
The Caesar salad was invented in 1924 in Mexico by chef Caesar Cardini. The story goes that one particularly busy July 4th holiday, the kitchen ran short of supplies, so Cardini made a dish with what he had left – lettuce, Parmesan, bread, lemons and various condiments, including Worcestershire sauce. And so a great salad was born – and no it didn’t include anchovies!
Preparation
The very best prawns to use in this dish are really large, fresh raw king prawns, with the shells still on. You then roast them in the shell, with the heads on (take them off if you prefer though!), then peel and eat. Do use these if you wish, it gives a super-tasty result! Make sure to de-vein the prawns before cooking though – which is to cut out the dark digestive line from the centre of the back.
However, shell-on raw king prawns are hard to find outside a fishmonger, and we realise they are fiddly to eat, and some people may be squeamish about handling them. We also like to make our recipes accessible to all, and to use ingredients you can find in most mainstream supermarkets. So today we used raw king prawns that had been pre-cleaned. These are available in most supermarkets. Shop around for them – they are often on deals or price-matched. They require very little in terms of preparation – just a quick wipe and check over, just before cooking.
For most of the other elements, the preparation is quite straightforward, apart from the salad dressing which, if doing the egg-based version, needs a little technique.
Start by chopping the chillies. We prefer red chillies in this prawn dish. We also prefer the slightly larger, milder ones here. Chop them medium fine. See our chilli Tip. For this dish we leave the seeds & white pith in for a little more heat – you can remove them if you prefer it milder. How many you use is also personal taste, and depends on size – today we used three quite large ones.
Also peel & chop the garlic. Garlic features twice in this dish – in both the prawns and the Caesar dressing. We also like the prawns garlicy, so use quite a lot! Today we chopped 8 cloves, though 3 were very small. Between 4 and 6 plump ones is about right, depending on how much you like garlic. Chop the garlic fine – you could leave it rougher for the prawns, but for the salad dressing it will be raw, so needs to be finer. See our garlic Tip.
For the Caesar dressing, a nice tip is to infuse some of the garlic in the oil you will use for the dressing. This not only ensures the garlic flavour will distribute nicely through the salad, but it softens the taste too. To do this, place about two tablespoons of the chopped garlic into a small jug and add around 150ml of olive oil. Sir, then leave to stand for about an hour.
Jake sticks his nose in
You can skip this step if short on time, the salad will still be very good! Just use plain oil and add the garlic straight into the dressing later. But steeping does make the whole flavour smoother & less pungent.
Lemon juice also features twice. Our lemons today were quite small, so we thought we’d need to juice four. But they turned out to be very juicy, so we only juiced three. See our lemon Tip.
Also chop some flat leaf parsley. We used one small bag. For this prawn dish you don’t need to cut it too fine. See our herb Tip.
Jake sticks his nose in
Flat leaf parsley is good here, but curly is fine too. We also quite often make this dish with fresh coriander – also delicious!
In our Caesar salad, we like to use a combination of grated and shaved Parmesan – fine grated in the dressing, and shaved in the salad itself. Grate a small piece quite finely – enough for a few tablespoons. Then shave the rest into thin strips – this is easiest using a potato peeler, though you can use a knife or the blade side of a box grater.
Your preparation for the prawns with Caesar salad is done.
Jake sticks his nose in
You can also make the croutons for the salad yourself. Simply cube some (ideally slightly stale) bread, and bake with a little oil & garlic until crisp. But today we bought them.
Making the lemon vinaigrette
At Baia, the prawns & langoustines were served with two sauces – a creamy one and a lemon one. We replicate the lemon one with a simple vinaigrette. It’s an even simpler version of our classic vinaigrette, shown in our Tip here.
Put a little salt & black pepper in the base of the clean jar or small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and stir until the salt dissolves. Next add one tablespoon of olive oil and either whisk well, or put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until the vinaigrette emulsifies.
Add another 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil, depending on how rich you like the dressing, and shake well again to emulsify. Your lemon vinaigrette is done. You can keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve, and it will also keep for a few days if you make more than you need.
Making the Caesar dressing
A classic Caesar dressing is made with olive oil and egg yolk – a technique very similar to making mayonnaise. This gives a lovely result, but can be a little tricky and needs precision, so alternatively you can use ready-made mayonnaise instead. This will give a still very nice but much thicker Caesar dressing.
To try the egg-and-oil version, first crack & separate one egg. See our egg Tip. Place the yolk in a small bowl and discard the white. Whip the yolk up well with a small splash of lemon juice, using a fork or small whisk.
You now need to start adding the oil, whisking all the time. To start with, you need to add the oil very slowly, literally a drop or two at a time. Keep going, drop by drop, and whisking constantly until the sauce starts to thicken. You can then start adding the oil in a steady thin stream instead.
We’re sorry but we didn’t get great pictures of us doing this, particularly the drop-by-drop part. The drops were so small and went in so quickly it was hard to catch pictures of them or what we caught was blurred! We also couldn’t stop to take more as you need to keep going or the dressing will split. We’ve put the best we have below! Make sure to get most of the garlic in too.
This sauce will not go super-thick like mayonnaise, and that is correct. But it should thicken to at least the texture of double cream. Alternatively, you can skip all of this and just add the same flavourings as below to store-bought mayonnaise – but don’t forget to add the garlic too. We prefer to use a light mayonnaise here, as otherwise the Caesar dressing can get a bit rich.
Jake sticks his nose in
If your dressing doesn’t thicken at all, which does happen, don’t worry. Try again using the thin mixture and adding it to another egg yolk, with the same careful technique as if it was the original oil. Hopefully this will do it!
Once the sauce has thickened, add the grated Parmesan and stir well – this will thicken it further. Also add lemon juice, then taste and add more as needed. Whisk well – this will also help emulsify the sauce. If using mayonnaise, just add both & stir well.
Now season to taste with a good grind of black pepper, and a large shake or two of Worcestershire sauce. This brings the anchovy flavour, so if you are not using anchovies in the dressing or salad you will need quite a good slug. You shouldn’t need salt as both the Parmesan and Worcester are salty.
Taste and adjust any flavouring to your preference. Your delicious Caesar dressing is ready. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Finishing the Caesar salad
About 20 minutes before you wish to serve the prawns with Caesar salad, pre-heat the oven to 240C (220C fan). The prawns will only take a few minutes to cook, and are best served immediately, hot from the oven. So it is best to get everything else ready first.
To finish the salad, first prepare the lettuce. Romaine is the traditional choice (also known as cos), but little gem or any similar crisp lettuce would work too. Remove & discard the outer few leaves, as these can be either flabby or tough – the inner leaves are crunchiest & sweetest. Now chop the remaining lettuce, quite roughly. The original Caesar salad was in fact made with whole leaves, but we find these tricky to dress and eat, so we prefer a rough chop. We also tend to discard the very tips of the leaves, as these are quite soft, but keep if you prefer.
Separate out the pieces, then add to a large serving bowl. Top with some of the Caesar dressing, and toss well to really coat the leaves.
Now add some of the shaved Parmesan & croutons, reserving some to top with. Add more dressing if needed and toss well again.
Top with the rest of the Parmesan & more croutons. Drizzle over a little more dressing, if liked. Your delicious Caesar salad is done!
Cooking the prawns & heating the flatbread
Pre-cleaned raw prawns should need virtually no preparation, but we do suggest you check them over for any remanents of shell, or for any of the digestive tract that has not been removed from the back. If any does remain, lift it out with a sharp knife.
Jake sticks his nose in
The black line of digestive tract in prawns is in fact safe to eat. But we find most people prefer not to! It can also be a little gritty, or lend an earthy flavour to the prawns so we always remove it – this is called deveining.
Packet prawns can sometimes be a little wet, so we like to dry them on kitchen towel just before cooking.
We’ll admit it – we went a bit over-the-top with the number of prawns we used today for three people! But we do like good prawns. A more reasonable portion would be about 6 or 7 prawns per person, more if they are smaller.
When you are ready to cook, add a good slug of oil to a large baking or roasting tin, big enough to hold the prawns in one layer. Add the chopped chillies, stir into the oil to distribute, and set in the hot oven for a few minutes to heat up.
Once the oil it hot, remove the tray and add the prawns, all in one layer. Sprinkle over the garlic & parsley, plus a little lemon juice. Stir well to coat the prawns.
Place into the hot oven, leaving room for a tray of flatbreads. How long the prawns will take to cook depends on size – our large ones today took 7 minutes in an oven at 220C fan (also check the time suggested on the packet for your size of prawn). About half way through the planned cooking time, remove the prawns from the oven & stir, then place back in.
You should be able to see in the pictures above how the prawns change colour as they cook. Raw prawns are usually greyish-blueish, and cooked ones are pinkish-orange. The ones in the second picture above are half way through the cooking time, and not all of them are fully pink yet. They also still look slightly translucent, also meaning they are not yet done.
You can serve the prawns with Caesar salad with any bread you like, but we particularly like this dish with flatbreads. These are best served slightly warmed through. While the prawns are cooking, sprinkle them with a little water, then pop into the hot oven and cook for the time stated on the packet (usually about 2 minutes) or until hot.
The prawns are done when they are all fully pink, and look opaque, as in the pictures below. You are ready to serve.
Serving the prawns with Caesar salad
To serve, plate up the prawns while piping hot. Give the lemon vinaigrette another good whisk or shake, and drizzle a little over the prawns.
Serve the prawns with the Caesar salad on the side, and the flatbreads to mop up the lovely juices.
We hope you enjoy your perfect prawns with Caesar salad & flatbread!
Perfect Prawns with Caesar Salad & Flatbread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Chop the chillies, medium fine. See our chilli Tip. Also peel & finely chop the garlic. See our garlic Tip.
- Steep 2 tablespoons of the garlic in 150ml of olive oil for an hour (optional). Reserve the rest of the garlic.
- Juice the lemons. See our lemon Tip. Roughly chop the parsley. See our herb Tip.
- Finely grate a small piece of the Parmesan, enough for a few tablespoons. Shave the rest – this is easiest with a potato peeler.
- Put a little salt & black pepper into a clean jam jar or small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and stir until the salt dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then either put the lid on the jar and shake briskly, or whisk, to emulsify the dressing. Add 3 or 4 more tablespoons of olive oil, depending on the richness you like, and shake or whisk again. Keep in the fridge until needed. See our vinaigrette Tip.
- If making with oil & egg: Separate one egg, and add the yolk to a small bowl; discard the white. See our egg Tip. Whisk the yolk briskly with a small splash of lemon juice. Keep whisking and add the infused oil, drop by drop at first, then, when the dressing starts to thicken, in a slow, steady thin stream. Make sure to add the garlic from the infused oil. See our pictures & tips in the post above.
- If making with mayonnaise: Add 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic to the mayonnaise and stir.
- For either dressing base: Add the grated Parmesan and stir to combine. Add lemon juice to taste, and whisk in well. Add a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce, and season with black pepper (you shouldn't need salt). Taste and adjust with any of the flavourings to you preference.
- Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce and discard. Chop the remaining lettuce roughly. Add to a large serving bowl. Spoon over some of the Caesar dressing and toss well to coat the leaves.
- Sprinkle over some of the shaved Parmesan plus some of the croutons, reserving some of each to top. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well again.
- Top with more of the Parmesan and croutons. Drizzle over a little more dressing, if liked.
- Pre-heat the oven to 240C (220C fan).
- Check the prawns over for any remanents of shell or intestinal tract, and remove if needed. Dry the prawns on some kitchen paper.
- Place a good glug of olive oil in a roasting tin large enough to hold the prawns in one layer. Add the chopped chillies and put the tin into the hot oven so the oil heats through – a few minutes.
- When the oil is hot, add the prawns, garlic, parsley and a splash of lemon juice, and stir well to coat the prawns. Place the tin back in the oven. Cook until the prawns turn uniformly pinkish-orange, and are opaque. How long will depend on the size of the prawns – ours took 7 minutes. Half way through the cooking time, remove the tin and stir the prawns.
- While the prawns are cooking, place the flatbreads on a baking tray and sprinkle with a little water. Bake in the hot oven for the time stated on the packet – usually about 2 minnutes.
- When the prawns are cooked, plate immediately, spooning over a little of the lemon vinaigrette.
- Serve with the Caesar salad on the side, and the flatbreads to mop up the delicious juices.
- Enjoy!
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