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BC SEASONAL COOKBOOK: PANKO & COCONUT SPOT PRAWNS

July 5th, 2009 Write a Comment  Print This Post

Every Sunday we share a recipe from EBC president Eric Pateman’s cookbook – The British Columbia Seasonal Cookbook.  Here is a recipe to catch the end of BC’s Spot Prawn season.

PANKO & COCONUT SPOT PRAWNS

Spot prawns are names for the distinctive white spots that adorn their shells.  Highly regarded for their size and firm, sweet flesh, spot prawns are the largest of the seven shrimp species caught commercialy in BC’s coastal waters; females are known to grow to 9 inces in length or more.  Spot prawns are usually sold fresh for just over 11 weeks beginning in May, mostly in BC, but they are available frozen year-round.  Over 90% of the catch is exported to Japan, although domestic consumption is increasing as more Canadian chefs discover the spot prawns’ great taste.

serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup panko
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 24 spot prawns, shelled, deveined, tail on
• 4 cups peanut oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup Thai chili dipping sauce

Method:

Place flour in a bowl or shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper.  Beat eggs in a separate bowl.  Combine panko and coconut in another shallow dish.  Dredge prawns first in flour, then in beaten eggs and finally coat in panko mixture.  Carefully lay prawns out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to 360F; if you do not have a thermometer, test oil with a cube of bread – it should turn golden in under 2 minutes.  Cook prawns in small batches until golden, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.  Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Tip: whenever possible, buy your prawns with heads on.  Keeping them while is worth the extra work and ensures the flavourful juices are retained in the fleah.  Thaw frozen prawns in the refrigerator overnight and use immediately.