← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 700 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning, divided
• 75 g Butter
• 45 g plain flour
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 Tomato, diced
• 600 ml seafood or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Bay leaves
• ½ tsp Dried thyme
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt, to taste
• 4 Spring onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• 300 g long-grain white rice, cooked

Method

1. Toss the prawns with half the Cajun seasoning and keep them in the fridge while you make the sauce.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy pan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and keep stirring for 8–10 min, until the roux is the colour of peanut butter and smells nutty. Lower the heat if it darkens too fast; burnt roux tastes bitter.
3. Add the onion, pepper and celery and stir for 6–8 min, until soft. Add the garlic and the rest of the Cajun seasoning for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, then pour in the stock gradually, stirring all the time so it stays smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme and simmer gently for 15 min, until thick enough to coat a spoon.
5. Add the prawns and simmer for 3–4 min, just until they turn pink and curl. Stir in the lemon juice, most of the spring onions and parsley, and season with salt.
6. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice with the rest of the herbs on top.

Tips

• Simmer the prawn shells in the stock for 15 minutes and strain it for a much deeper seafood flavour.
• Cajun seasoning blends vary a lot in salt and heat, so taste before adding extra salt.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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