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James Martin's prawn cocktail
With many restaurants and pubs reopened it’s time to celebrate! James Martin is here with his foolproof guide to making some pub grub classics - starting with a prawn cocktail.
Prawn cocktail with melba toast
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
300ml vegetable oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
25ml brandy
75ml tomato ketchup
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons
2 butterhead lettuce, sliced
300g picked fresh white crab meat
700g cooked tiger prawns, peeled, leaving 4 whole for garnish
½ tsp cayenne pepper
8 to 10 medium slices white bread
1 punnet mustard cress
Method
1. Place the egg yolks and mustard into a food processor and blend until pale and creamy
2. With the motor running, pour in enough oil, in a steady stream, until the mayonnaise is thick. Then add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, brandy and tomato ketchup. Check the seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice, adjust the seasoning to taste, and mix well. Cut the remaining lemon into 4 wedges.
3. Place the sliced salad leaves into the serving glasses, add the white crab meat and a little lemon juice and combine the peeled prawns with a few tablespoons of the dressing and season to taste - add on top of the crab meat, top with the remaining sauce and a pinch of cayenne.
4. To make the melba toast, put the bread onto a baking tray and toast under a hot grill on both sides. Remove the crusts and then slice through the bread horizontally. Rub the underside on the board to remove any excess crumbs, cut each piece into two triangles, put back on the tray untoasted side up, and toast until golden.
5. Serve alongside the cocktail with the lemon wedge and the prawn hung over the glass edge and topped with the mustard cress.