The silly season is upon us, and nothing says celebration feasting like fresh seafood and comforting carbs! This dish is great for sharing, incredibly simple and tastes like summer on a plate!
Fresh juicy prawns marinated in smoky cajun spices on a bed of herbed pearl cous-cous, sweet corn and blistered cherry tomatoes drizzled in extra-virgin olive oil- it comes together in minutes and is ridiculously yummy.
I love saving the prawn-heads to make a stock for cooking the cous-cous; it really adds another dimension of sweet prawny-ness to the dish and ensures nothing goes to waste. The cous-cous could easily be substituted with some springy spaghetti or linguine, if this floats your boat.
This home-blended cajun spice mix is definitely one to save- an easy mix of smoked paprika, cayenne chilli, garlic, thyme and oregano- it tastes amazing on shrimp or prawns but try it on fish, chicken, corn on the cob or mixed in with extra-virgin olive oil for a deliciously tasty salad-dressing.
As for the cherry tomatoes- I love cooking ripe and juicy cherry tomatoes on the grill until they’re blistered and exploding with flavour- but if you’re short on time or would like to add some freshness to the dish, add them in uncooked (but do find ones at the peak of their ripeness!).
Spicy Cajun Prawns on Cous Cous
Ingredients
Cajun Spice Mix
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp powdered cayenne
- 2 cloves fresh garlic- crushed
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 250 grams Large fresh prawns I've used Banana Prawns for my version
- ½ lemon- for juice & lemon rind
Cous Cous
- 100 grams Pearl Cous Cous (dried weight)
- 1 bunch cherry tomatoes grilled or fresh
- 50 grams fresh or frozen corn kernels
- a couple of sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil- for dressing
Instructions
- Combine all of the spices and herbs for the rub in a large bowl and add the olive oil, whisk to combine
- Wash, peel and de-vein the prawns, keeping the tails intact. Save the prawn heads for the stock- add these to a saucepan of water.
- Bring the saucepan of prawn heads & water to boil. Salt generously, then add the Pearl Cous Cous and cook according to packet instructions
- While the cous cous is cooking, add the peeled prawns to the cajun rub and combine well. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the prawns. Squeeze over with lemon juice and add some grated lemon zest to the pan. Cook the prawns about 2-3 minutes each side or until the prawns are just cooked through, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook your fresh or frozen corn and chop the parsley roughly
- Save two tablespoons of the starchy cooking water, then drain the cous-cous, discarding the prawn heads. Add the starchy water back to the cous cous and dress with extra-virgin olive oil, then add the cooked prawns and all of the juices from the pan, the corn and chopped parsley, and lightly toss to combine.
- To serve, scatter with cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of parsley. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper
Nutrition
1 Comment
Paleodebcooks
January 3, 2020 at 9:16 amSubbed the cous cous for pasta but flavours were amazing!