Appetizers Recipes - Grilled Prawns with Lemon Grass Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 king prawns (jumbo shrimp), cleaned, with shells intact

• 120ml/1/2 cup fish sauce

• 30ml/2 tbsp sugar

• 15ml/1 tbsp vegetable or sesame oil

• 3 lemon grass stalks, trimmed and finely chopped

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Using a small sharp knife, carefully slice open each king prawn shell along the back and pull out the black vein, using the point of the knife. Try to keep the rest of the shell intact.

2. Place the deveined prawns in a shallow dish and set aside. Put the fish sauce in a small bowl with the sugar; and beat together until the sugar has dissolved completely. Add the oil and lemon grass and mix well.

3. Pour the marinade over the prawns, using your fingers to rub it all over the prawns and inside the shells too. Cover the dish with clear film (plastic wrap) and chill for at least 4 hours.

4. Cook the prawns on a barbecue or under a conventional grill (broiler) for 2-3 minutes each side. Serve with little bowls of water for rinsing sticky fingers.

Note: In every market in Vietnam and Cambodia, there is bound to be someone cooking up citrus-scented snacks. The fragrant scent of lemon grass is hard to resist, but check what's cooking first, because the Vietnamese also like to cook frogs' legs and snails this way. The use of aromatic lemon grass for grilling, stir-frying or steaming shellfish is one of the classic features of Indo-Chinese cooking.

Cook's Tip: Big juicy king prawns (jumbo shrimp) are best for this recipe, but smaller ones work equally well if king prawns are not available in your local shops.