The Christmas Prawn Cocktail
Britain's favourite Christmas Day starter, done properly: Greenland prawns, a pale-pink Marie Rose sauce and nothing that needs the oven.
BEST NORTH ATLANTIC PEELED PRAWNS
What you’ll need
- 400g Best North Atlantic cooked peeled prawns (two 200g packs)
- 6 tbsp good mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- A few drops of Tabasco
- 1 tsp brandy (optional)
- Juice of half a lemon, plus wedges to serve
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, or a quarter of an iceberg, finely shredded
- A quarter of a cucumber, finely diced
- 1 ripe avocado, diced (optional)
- Smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne, to finish
- Brown bread and butter, to serve
Let's Cook!
Step 1
Defrost the prawns the night before: tip them into a sieve set over a bowl, cover and leave in the fridge.
Step 2
Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper. Wet prawns turn the sauce thin and watery, and this is the step most recipes leave out. Season with a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper.
Step 3
Make the Marie Rose sauce: stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, brandy and the rest of the lemon juice. It should be pale pink rather than orange; add ketchup a little at a time if it isn't. Chill. The sauce can be made the day before.
Step 4
Fold about three-quarters of the sauce through the prawns, just enough to coat them.
Step 5
Put the lettuce, cucumber and avocado in the bottom of four glasses or small bowls, pile the prawns on top and add a spoonful of the remaining sauce.
Step 6
Dust with smoked paprika, add a lemon wedge and serve with brown bread and butter. Assemble no more than an hour before you eat.
