Prawns with coconut batter and grapefruit salad

What I like most about summer are salads, cold soups and ice creams. That's why I always try to prepare a wide variety of all of them so that at home they don't get "bored" at mealtimes. We can prepare an incredible assortment beyond the lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad. One of the latest preparations that has us totally hooked is these shrimps with coconut batter and grapefruit salad . It's a real explosion of flavor and textures , very different from other types of salads that we usually eat.

I know that grapefruit is a somewhat difficult fruit to eat because of its particular flavour, but this recipe has a trick. I admit that grapefruit, in its natural state, is very bitter. Although it is a very attractive fruit in terms of appearance and colour, it is true that when it comes to eating it, it is not very appetising. That is why I decided to follow a recipe from a great chef whom I greatly admire, Ottolengui . He is world-renowned by all of us, so there is no need to introduce him.

This man has the ability to combine flavours in surprising ways, he is a kitchen alchemist. I have been able to prove it a thousand times by making many of his recipes. This grapefruit salad is one of his creations, except I have changed two small, insignificant details.

To make this salad, we marinate the grapefruit in a mixture that combines rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, chili, anise and orange blossom water. Yes, I know, just reading this makes your eyes widen. I've never used orange blossom water for a savoury dish before and, believe me, I will do so on more than one occasion. It provides a surprising floral aroma. Then we mix our salad leaves and sprouts with aromatic herbs, mango, seeds and nuts. And the grapefruit, of course. The result is a sensational dish, very refreshing and light.

To accompany the salad, we will prepare some prawns coated in grated coconut . Very similar to other fried prawn recipes, but not the classic " prawns in batter " made with the classic " Orly batter ". On this occasion, the outer coating is very crunchy, as well as having a very particular flavour thanks to the grated coconut and coconut cream. I saw the recipe on the African Bites website, and I promise you that you will love it!

These prawns can be served with the salad as is and would be great, but if we make a little Sriracha mayonnaise ... you'll be in heaven! Of course, this last step is only for spicy lovers. In case you don't like spicy sauces, perhaps a mango jam or some kind of chutney would be better. The combination of both preparations is a perfect salad for these summer nights we are having.

Bérard olive wood fork and spoon set

Ingredients for 2 people

Coconut-battered prawns

• 20 large shrimp or prawns, raw
• 30 g breadcrumbs
• 30 g grated coconut
• 25 g wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg + 80 g coconut cream

Grapefruit and mango salad

• 2 grapefruits
• 1/2 mango, about 150 g (peeled and cleaned)
• salad leaf mix; watercress, lamb's lettuce, oak leaf, baby spinach leaves...
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 5 g fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 35-40 g honey peanuts, lightly crushed
• white sesame seeds to taste
• nigella seeds to taste
• olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons of the grapefruit marinade
• a splash of lime juice
• salt to taste

Marinade (for grapefruit)

• 70 g rice vinegar
• 40 g light brown sugar, can be replaced with brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 2 stars of anise
• 1 cinnamon stick, split in half
• 10 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 dried red chili, halved and seeded

Sriracha Mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Sriracha sauce to taste

Elaboration

We prepare the marinade

1. In a saucepan , add the rice vinegar together with the sugar. Place over low heat and stir constantly until the sugar completely dissolves.
2. Remove from heat and add the orange blossom water, anise, cinnamon, ginger and red chili.
3. We booked.

De Buyer Prim Appety Stainless Steel Saucepan

We prepare the grapefruit for marinating

1. Peel the grapefruits, remove all the white skin and cut the segments, making sure there is no membrane at the ends. The pulp should be exposed.
2. We cut each segment into 2-3 portions, depending on the size of the grapefruit, and place them in a deep plate.
3. Pour the marinade over the grapefruit and let it sit for 2 hours . If it is very hot, you can refrigerate it.

We prepare the shrimps or prawns

1. We remove the heads, peel, keeping the end of the tail, and remove the casing (black thread at the top of the back).
2. In a bowl, beat the egg together with the coconut cream and set aside.
3. On the other hand, mix the flour with the breadcrumbs, grated coconut, paprika and salt in a deep plate or bowl. Mix well to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
4. We booked.

Dutch Rose Irregular Plates

We coat and fry the prawns

1. We dip the prawns in the egg and coconut cream mixture, drain lightly and coat in the breadcrumb and coconut mixture.
2. We place it on a plate and repeat the same process with the rest of the prawns.
3. Pour olive oil into a frying pan, in my case I used De Buyer sauté , enough to be able to fry them.
4. Once it reaches 175 °C, add 4-5 pieces to the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute or 1 and 1/2 minutes. Remember to do this on both sides. I recommend not overcooking them to ensure that when you bite into them they are juicy and not hard and dry.
5. We remove it from the oil and set it aside.

De Buyer Prim Appety Stainless Steel Sauté Pan

We assemble the salad

1. Drain the grapefruit, reserving the marinade liquid. Remove the cinnamon, anise, ginger and chili.
2. In a bowl or individual plate, place a base of sprouts and salad leaves along with the chopped coriander and mint leaves.
3. We add the mango, cut into small squares, together with the macerated grapefruit.
4. We add 2-3 tablespoons of the marinade liquid over the salad, if it has been served individually, or 3-4 if the salad is to be shared.
5. Drizzle the salad with olive oil, a dash of lime juice and sprinkle with flaky salt. Mix lightly to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, nigella and lightly crushed peanuts.
7. We accompanied it with the coconut-breaded prawns and a bowl of Sriracha mayonnaise.
8. We serve immediately.

Grades

• Ideally, you should use large shrimps or prawns. This way, you will get an exquisite, juicy bite.
• If you don't like coconut , you can omit it and use only the flour along with the breadcrumbs or panko. Although I recommend using it because the flavor and texture are amazing.
• We can use panko instead of breadcrumbs if we wish, the result is very good.
• To cover the prawns we will use coconut cream , which is thick, not coconut milk like the ones we find in cartons (vegetable drink).
• Do not overcook the prawns , otherwise they will be very dry. Correct cooking will leave prawns with a C shape. If, on the other hand, we overcook them, they will lose a lot of water and look very similar to an O shape.
• The prawns can be prepared and battered in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to fry.
• To make Sriracha mayonnaise , we just have to mix both ingredients. I'll leave the amount of Sriracha up to you so you can adjust it to your tastes.
• The sprouts for the salad are entirely up to you , use the ones you like best and, if possible, with a different range of colors to make the dish more striking.
• The longer you marinate the grapefruit , the more flavor it acquires and the better the final result will be.
• Seeds are optional , but recommended. You can always omit them or vary them if you wish.
• Honey peanuts can be substituted with any other nuts of your choice. Ideally roasted or fried to provide more flavour.
• To season the salad we can use olive oil or, if we prefer, sesame oil, avocado oil...
• Once we dress the salad, the leaves and sprouts stay fresh/firm for a short time . I advise you to dress it just when you are going to serve it.
• We can present the prawns in the same bowl as the salad or, if we prefer, on a separate plate.

I can't wait for you to try these coconut-battered shrimps with grapefruit salad and tell us what you think. From now on, you're going to fall in love with this fruit... You'll see.

And the prawns. Because, of course, they are amazing no matter how you prepare them. But this batter is very exotic, as well as different and surprising. I hope you enjoy it a lot!