Prawn cocktail is a dish we often see as a starter on restaurant menus. It looks posh and has a reputation for being a high class dish, It is however quick and easy to prepare at home. As it is a cold dish, it is also perfect for the summer, to beat the heat. Preparing a seafood cocktail is super easy, as shown below! It is very common to serve this dish in glasses for a more sophisticated and elegant touch. It will impress your guests and will make you seem like the perfect host! Here at OneHowTo.com, we'll give you a step-by-step guide on how to make prawn cocktail.
The first step for preparing the prawn cocktail is to season prawns with salt and pepper. Then, sauté in a pan with a little oil; they should have a reddish colour. Never overcook prawns or they will be hard and chewy. As an alternative to pan frying, you can boil your prawns for just 3 minutes.
Whilst it is cooking, prepare the sauce by mixing the mayonnaise with the cream, ketchup, cognac, half a teaspoon of mustard and orange juice. Leave it in the fridge until serving. Taste your sauce before placing in the fridge, you may want to adjust the sauces to your liking.
Wash the lettuce with water and a little vinegar to remove any dirt or any insects. Then, gather a few lettuce leaves and cut them into thin strips. Do not season the lettuce long before serving your prawn cocktail. Otherwise, your lettuce will become soggy and won't give the crispy effect it is supposed to.
Place a mound of shredded lettuce in a glass or in the centre of a plate, drizzle a little sauce over the lettuce and place the prawns on top. If there is extra sauce, you can serve it in a sauceboat.
You can make your prawn cocktail look posh by serving it in a glass jar (you can use a recycled glass jar to give it a more modern look) and then placing the salad in like a flower, and the prawns inside the "flower pot". Your guests will be amazed!
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- You can also prepare this recipe with cooked prawns.