Tropical prawn salad with archipelago dressing
Servings: 4
A retro prawn cocktail screams holidays and celebrations, mixed with tropical fruit, which totally works. This benefits from a firm avocado, such as a Shepard, which will hold its shape better than a Hass or Reed. The dressing is an Aussie take on Thousand Island and has the yoghurt inside, so why not call it an archipelago! Buy prawns frozen and thaw as needed – they’re snap-frozen on the boat. If you don’t want to use prawns, you could use other seafood such as crayfish, marron, bugs or scampi, or sub out for firm tofu and lychees (with fysh sauce splashed in for funk) for a vego option.
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Ingredients
- 2 baby cos (romaine lettuces) soaked in cold water
- 1 firm but ripe mango
- ½ ripe pineapple
- 1 firm but ripe avocado something like a Shepard will be best
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) cooked and peeled prawns tails removed
- ½ bunch mint leaves picked
ARCHIPELAGO DRESSING
- ⅓ cup 85 g sour cream
- ⅓ cup 85 g natural yoghurt
- 1½ tbsp tomato sauce ketchup
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon plus extra for the avocado
- ½ tsp salt flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
FINAL BITS & BOBS
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- Lemon cheeks
Instructions
- Spin dry the lettuce and chop the leaves into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks. Cut the cheeks off the mango and then gently remove the skin with a knife or large sharp spoon. This will leave you with two cheeks, which can then be cubed. Peel the pineapple and cut this into cubes too.
- To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You can keep the salad and dressing separate until you’re just about to serve.
- Cut the avocado in half, remove the halves from the skin with a spoon, use the back of the spoon to smooth over any mushy spots, and then cut into cubes. Drizzle some extra lemon juice over the avo cubes to prevent them from discolouring.
- Arrange the salad ingredients, including the prawns and mint, on a platter, then drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle with chives and serve with lemon cheeks, preferably while wearing a kaftan or Hawaiian shirt.
Notes
Recipe from Salad for Days (Murdoch Books)
