Prawns and harissa

Name: Prawns and harissa
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 10 long red chillies, split, seeded, roughly chopped; 80ml olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 2 bay leaves; 2 tsp whole white peppercorns; 2 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 large garlic clove; 1 tbsp brown sugar; Extra olive oil; Vegetable oil; 12-16 king prawns, peeled and deveined; 

October 18, 2011

Time:< 30 mins

We've been using some amazing fresh king prawns caught on the east coast, a great example of a product that doesn't need much doing to it. Harissa originated in North Africa and is customarily made with dried red chillies.

Ingredients

10 long red chillies, split, seeded, roughly chopped
80ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp whole white peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp brown sugar
Extra olive oil
Vegetable oil
12-16 king prawns, peeled and deveined

Method

For the harissa
Cook the chillies, olive oil, salt and bay leaves in a frypan over a medium heat until chilli is soft and starting to brown; about 12 minutes.
Dry fry white pepper, fennel, cumin and coriander seeds to refresh, then grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Pass through a fine sieve, add to chilli and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.
Add garlic clove and sugar and blend to a paste with a stick blender, add extra olive oil if needed. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
For the prawns
Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan and fry prawns on both sides until just cooked through. Serve with harissa on the side.

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