Paella with Langoustines and King Prawns

Langoustine and King Prawn Paella

There are thousands of different recipes for this Spanish staple, this one uses smoked bacon instead of chorizo for a flavour base with Langoustines and King Prawns. Whilst chorizo is a must for many recipes, I use bacon here not to overpower the langoustines and prawns. 

 

 Like all my recipes this will give two good portions, however this time I encourage you to make more than is required- the leftovers can be used to make paella rice balls the next day. I will put the recipe up for this next.  

 

 

 

 

What's needed

4-5 rashes of smoked streaky bacon

2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

1 large glass of dry white wine

1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried coriander leaf
1 teaspoon dried parsley leaf
500ml chicken or vegetable stock

Pinch of Saffron

2 Large white onions

2 sticks of celery

1 red pepper

3-4 cloves garlic

1 large mild red chilli

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Paella rice (use more than required for 2 persons)

2 small carrots

6-8 Cherry tomatoes
Handful frozen green peas

4 Langoustines (whole, shell on)

6 King prawns (whole, shell on)
Handful of fresh parsley
Handful of fresh coriander leaf
Juice of half a lemon





 

 

 

Preparation

 As this is a one pot dish it is important to prepare the ingredients ahead of time so they can be added to the pan when required. A good choice of pan in an ideal world would be a paella pan however a large non stick pan does just as well.

 

1. Chop the bacon, celery, onion, chilli, onion, and red pepper as shown below.
2. Peel the carrot and dice, Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into the back of the prawns (from neck to tail) and devein. Ensure the prawns remain in the shell for flavour.
4. Chop the fresh parsley and coriander to add to the cooked dish.



 

Get cooking

1. Add a little olive oil to the pan and warm to a medium heat.
2. Add the mixture of onions, garlic, celery chilli, red pepper, bacon and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes to soften.
3. Add 2 teaspoons paprika and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander and stir through to coat mixture.
4. Next add the paella rice, I recommend adding more than required for two persons as leftovers can be used to make delicious paella rice balls the next day (recipe will follow!).
5. Stir through until the rice has absorbed all the liquid from the mixture, allow to cook for a minute stirring constantly.
6. Then add the white wine, stir constantly and cook it off. This should take a minute or so.
7. Once the wine is either absorbed or evaporated then add the stock, unlike risotto this should be done in one amount. This should ideally cover the rice completely, if it does not then add enough hot water to the pan to do so.
8. Add in the carrots, peas and the cherry tomatoes. Stir through.
9. Next add a pinch of saffron, some salt and ground black pepper and stir through. Do not add too much seasoning as the liquid here will reduce and strengthen in flavour.
10. Add the dried parsley and died coriander.
11. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer dish for approx. twenty minutes or until the liquid has been nearly completely absorbed. Unlike risotto there is no need to stand over the pan constantly stirring. Also unlike risotto where you wish to avoid a crust on the bottom of a pan, in Spain a good paella is sometimes judged by tasting the crust. At this point taste the dish and if required add seasoning.
12. Just before all the liquid is gone add the prawns and langoustines to the top of the pan. Do not stir through, let the steam from below cook the shellfish. Only when the prawns change from grey to pink should you stir them into the rice to complete the cooking.
13. Once the shellfish is cooked add the fresh parsley, coriander and juice of half a lemon.
14. Serve up and enjoy!

 

Thai King prawn salad

Thai king prawn Salad

 

Simple but very delicious Thai salad recipe. Marinated in red curry paste then roasted to bring out the full flavour of the prawns. Works extremely well with a fresh pineapple Thai salad with tamarind dressing. Easy to make and a pleasure to eat.

Whats needed

For the prawns

6 large shell on, head on Madagascan King tiger prawns 

A small jar of red curry paste

 

For the salad dressing

2 limes

2 teaspoons of tamarind concentrate

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon of shrimp paste

1 tablespoon of brown sugar (palm sugar if you have it)

2 red bird eye chillies

For the salad

A small fresh pineapple

5-6 cherry tomatoes

1-2 round tomatoes

1 small red onion

2-3 spring onions

1 orange pepper

1 stick celery

1/3 fresh cucumber

1 large red chilli

1-2 nests of rice noodles

Fresh coriander

Fresh mint

Fresh Thai basil

 

 

Preparation

Preparation is in three stages:

 

Marinating the prawns

1. Prepare the prawns using a sharp knife cut a slit from the head of the prawn down to its tail. Make sure you leave the prawn in its shell (for flavour on cooking), devein the prawns and set aside in a large glass bowl.
2. Using a jar of red curry paste cover the prawns and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours. I use shop bought paste here to save on time. If you wish you could make your own red curry paste although I do not think this is necessary for this recipe.

The salad dressing

1. Firstly thinly slice the two red bird eye chillies. Add these to a mortar and pestle.
2. Add the juice of two limes. Roll the limes first to make sure you extract all the juice.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir or grind to dissolve fully.
4. Next add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of tamarind concentrate and 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste. Stir or grind to dissolve.
5. Leave aside in fridge until time to serve. Remember to re stir/grind before serving as some of the sugar may settle upon chilling.

The salad itself

1. Firstly soak/cook 1-2 nests of thin rice noodles as per instructions on packet.
2. Whilst this is happening prepare and chop into bite sized chunks the pepper, pineapple, red onion, spring onions, celery and tomatoes. Add these to a large salad bowl.
3. Deseed the cucumber, cut into thin crescents  and pat dry using paper towel. Add to the bowl.
4. Chop the red chilli thinly and add to the bowl.
5. Once the rice noodles are cooked, drain and rinse in cold water to chill them. Once fully drained and cooled add to the salad bowl.
6. Chop a good handful of each of the three herbs- mint, coriander and Thai basil. Add on top of the prepared salad but do not mix through yet.
7. Leave the salad aside in the fridge until ready to serve.

 

 

 

 

Get cooking

1. Pre heat the oven to 150 Celsius (fan oven). Add the prawns to a large casserole dish and roast them for 15 minutes. Once cooked remove from oven and set aside.
2. Give the salad dressing a good stir/grind and then pour the dressing over the noodle salad. Using your hands give the salad a really good mix ensuring the dressing is through everything. 
3. Now it is time to serve as shown below. A dusting of some chopped peanuts  finishes the dish off nicely.

 

 



 

Laksa

Laksa

Laksa is without doubt one of my favourite dishes, the Far Easts ultimate comfort food- Like a cuddle in a bowl! There are many variations on Laksa which vary greatly in taste, this version is based upon Malaysian laksa. Also known as curry Mee this dish originates from Penang.

 

 I based this recipe on two different versions of the dish I ate last year, one at Shangri la in KL the other at Samaya in Bali. This recipe is the closest I have got to that taste. I find the versions in Malaysian restaurants in the UK to be disappointing. Don't even get me started on the jars of cooking sauce from supermarkets. Using a freshly made paste you will experience the full taste of this wonderfully delicious dish.

It is possible to make many variations on the dish- for a sweeter taste add some sweet peppers to the curry paste. Also it is possible to add different fish such as sliced white fish (bass, cod etc.), Salmon, scallops, or shell fish such as muscles, cockles and clams.

 

 Video recipe links below

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIjKOn87xcw

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x31fv8a_laksa_lifestyle

 

Whats needed

Like all my dishes below gives Two good portions 

For the Paste

3 large medium hot red chillies

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 medium/large brown onion

1-2 sticks lemon grass (inner part only, thinly sliced)

Thumb sized piece of root ginger

3 Large garlic gloves

Handful of cashew nuts

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

Pestle and mortar/ mini blender

 

For the dish

King prawns   (raw, shell off, around 12)
2-3 spring onions
Small tin of water chestnuts (sliced is better)
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
1 can of coconut milk
500ml chicken stock
3-4 lime leafs
1 table spoon fish sauce
1 table spoon dark soy sauce
1 table spoon brown sugar
Firm tofu (to deep fry) or pre fried firm tofu
Black pepper
2 limes

To Garnish (essential)

2 hard boiled eggs
1 large red chilli thinly sliced
Handful of fresh coriander
Handful of honey roast peanuts



1 nest of cooked rice noodles per person

 

 

Preparation

1. The key to the flavour of the dish is the paste which is the first thing to prepare. First roast the spices in a pan until they become fragrant then grind them in a spice grinder. Then using a small blender or mortar and pestle add all of the spice ingredients. Blend thoroughly. Below shows what the paste should look like. The photos are from different batches.
   

   

   
   

   

    
2. If you don't have pre fried tofu then also deep fry some now to add to the cooked dish later.
3. Also Hard boil the eggs. 10 mins boiling for two eggs on a medium heat. Once cooked deshell and cut eggs into half long ways.
4. Cut the spring onions into 2-3 cm pieces.
5. Chop the coriander roughly and slice the red chilli to garnish.
6. Pre cook the rice noodles so they are ready to add to the dish.

 

Get cooking

1. In a deep frying pan or wok cook through the paste. It may be necessary to add a little extra oil. Cook through for several minutes on a medium high heat until the paste becomes very aromatic.
2. Once the paste is cooked through add the coconut milk, stir the paste through to dissolve.
3. Add one tablespoon of fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir through then add the spring onions, water chestnuts and the lime leafs.
4. Next add in the stock and stir through, continue to simmer for 5-10 mins.
5. Add the juice of one lime then  crack in some black pepper.
6. Taste the dish, if you want more zing add more lime juice, add more soy or fish sauce if you think it needs more salt, or add a little more sugar if you want more sweetness. I have cooked this dish several times and never needed to add any extra.
7. Now add in the king prawns and tofu and cook through, this should only take 1-2 mins. The sauce is now ready.
8. In a large deep bowl add the rice noodle portions. Ladle in the sauce over the noodles trying to make sure the prawns, tofu and vegetables are evenly distributed. 
9. On top of the sauce add the boiled eggs, peanuts, coriander and sliced chilli as shown in pictures.
10. enjoy!

 

 

 

 Below are some examples of variations with sweet peppers and different seafood