Santa Barbara Spot Prawns With Tomato Confit Garlic And Chile Recipes

GRILLED SPOT PRAWNS

Steps:

• Using a small knife or kitchen shears, butterfly shrimp from tail to base of head, leaving peel and head on; devein.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes; saut&eactue; until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in Pernod and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds. Season with salt and pepper. Add prawns; toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature, tossing occasionally,for 30 minutes.
• Prepare a grill to high heat. Grill prawns, brushing with marinade from bowl, until bright pink and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Mix sliced fennel bulb and arugula in a large bowl. Drizzle lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil over; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange salad on a plate. Top with shrimp, garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped fronds.

SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS IN PERNOD

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and at the first sight of smoke, carefully add the prawns. Sear the prawns on one side for 30 seconds. Turn the prawns, add the smashed garlic cloves, and sauté until golden. With no fear, add the Pernod and flame off all the alcohol; this will happen very quickly. Add the fish stock and reduce to half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and lemon zest, and turn off the heat. Swirl the pan until all the butter is incorporated into a sauce.
• Finish the sauce with a squeeze of the lemon, a few flecks of crushed red chili, and sea salt and pepper. Toss in the tomatoes at the last moment, and garnish with a few chopped fennel fronds, if using. Serve immediately.

SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS WITH TOMATO CONFIT, GARLIC, AND CHILE

Steps:

• Use kitchen scissors to cut the shells of the spot prawns down their backs, from the base of their heads to the tip of their tails. (Don't remove the shells.) If the prawns are wet, dry them with paper towels.
• Heat two heavy-bottomed sauté pans over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Swirl 2 tablespoons olive oil into each pan, and carefully place the prawns in the pans, on their sides. (You will need to cook the prawns in batches to avoid overcrowding them.) Season each batch of prawns with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Pour another 2 tablespoons oil into each pan, and cook about 5 minutes, until the shells get some color and the flesh begins to turn opaque on the first side.
• Turn the prawns over, drizzle another 2 tablespoons oil into each pan, and season the second side of each batch with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook another 3 minutes or so, until the prawns are just cooked. (You can peek inside the cut shell to see that the flesh is completely opaque.)
• Remove the prawns to a platter, and turn the heat under both pans down to medium-low. Divide the shallots, thyme, and sliced chiles between the two pans. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until the shallots are translucent, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the flavorful shrimp bits. Divide the garlic between the pans, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots and garlic are soft and just starting to color. Turn the heat back up to high, and add half the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to each pan. Taste for seasoning, and cook a minute, stirring often.
• Spoon the hot yellow tomato confit onto a large warm platter.
• Add half the prawns, sliced parsley, oregano, and the two basils to each pan, and roll the prawns in the cherry tomatoes to coat well. This final step is a little cumbersome but really helps coat the prawns in the cherry tomato sauce.
• Arrange the prawns on the platter, and squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice over them. Spoon the remaining cherry tomato sauce over the top.
• Serve with lots of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce and juices. The prawns would also be great with steamed rice or over pasta.
• Yellow Tomato Confit
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Scatter the red onion, chiles, garlic, and basil and oregano sprigs in a baking dish. Core the yellow tomatoes and place them, stem side down, on top of the onions. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, and pour the olive oil and 1 cup water over the tomatoes.
• Cook the tomatoes in the oven about 50 minutes, until they soften and blister. Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool 10 minutes. Strain the tomatoes and onions over a bowl, saving the juice. Discard the herbs and half the chiles.
• Transfer half the tomato mixture to a blender with 1/2 cup of the liquid. (You will need to purée in batches.) Process at the lowest speed until the tomatoes are puréed. Pour in more liquid, a little at a time, until the tomato confit is the consistency of heavy cream. Turn the speed up, and blend about a minute, until completely smooth. Transfer to a container, and repeat with the second half of the tomatoes. (You may not need all the liquid.) Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Taste for seasoning.
• Note
• If you can't find spot prawns, make this summer dish with another type of fresh prawn or large gulf shrimp sold in their shells.
• You can make the yellow tomato confit in the morning. The rest of the cooking must be done at the last minute, but you can get all the slicing and herb-prepping done ahead, so that when it comes time to cook you'll be ready. The spot prawns should be cleaned right before they're cooked and not any earlier. When it comes to sautéing the prawns, for six people you'll need two or three sauté pans, or you can do them in batches. While cooking the shallots and tomatoes in one pan, you could be sautéing the last batch of prawns in the other.