John Torode's Greek summer salad with prawns
Ever heard of Prawn Saganaki? This classic Greek meze combines feta, Ouzo and tomatoes to give you a taste of the Agean, no matter where you are in the world.
John Torode’s got a recipe that’ll make your mouth water - and colourful Greek salad that might just start a debate because he's ditching the dressing and won’t be crumbling the cheese!
Here's how it's done.
Prawn with Feta and Tomatoes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
12 large prawns, whole and still in their shell
70ml olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 small chilli, diced, or chilli flakes
50mls ouzo
1 large tomato, finely chopped
Handful of parsley, chopped
Method
1. Remove the shell from the prawn tails but leave the head on and the tail fin on. Take out the back vein to clean the prawn.
2. Heat the oil gently, and the onions and garlic and soften until fragrant
3. Add the prawns and a little more oil then increase the heat so they start to sizzle. Season well. Let them cook and when they start to turn pink / coral turn them over, leave to cook for a minute.
4. Add the chilli and give the mixture a stir. Keep the heat high, pour in the ouzo and let it bubble - it may flame
5. Drop in the tomato and the parsley and swirl the pan
6. Serve as is, or sprinkle with feta cheese and place under the grill for a few minutes
John Torode's Greek summer salad
Ingredients
2 very ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
Half a cucumber, peeled and chopped large
1 small white onion, sliced
Handful of black or large salty purple olives (not sliced) pitted or not
1 small green bell pepper, thin skinned, sliced (the long ones from the Greek Shops are the best, they’re usually pale green)
Bunch of dried oregano
White wine vinegar
Large slab of Feta cheese
Olive oil
Bread, to serve
Method
1. Mix the tomato and cucumber together with a little salt and leave to one side for a few minutes
2. Mix with the sliced onions, olives, peppers and oregano, then sprinkle with a little vinegar
3. Place in a bowl and top with the slab of feta then sprinkle with a little olive oil
4. To eat, crush the cheese with a fork and eat - always served with bread and not pitta...