1.2K 
Print Recipe Email Recipe
Words by Martin Benn and Vicki Wild. Photography Kristoffer Paulsen.
Who doesn’t love a prawn (shrimp) cocktail? This is a play on the classic, served in baby gem lettuce cups. Your prawn options include buying whole prawns and cooking them yourself (save the shells in the freezer for your next shellfish oil), or purchasing green prawn meat. If you prefer to buy cooked prawns, make sure they are well drained, as any excess water will loosen the mayonnaise.
Discover more dinner party recipes like this in ‘The Dinner Party’ by Martin Benn and Vicki Wild. Purchase your copy here and elevate your dining experiences!
Prawn Cocktail Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
FROM THE PANTRY
- Taberu rayu table chilli, (see recipe below)
DAY BEFORE
- Make chilli lime mayonnaise and refrigerate.
- Pick out the best leaves and refrigerate.
- Peel prawns and refrigerate.
ON THE DAY
- Cook prawns and cool.
- Toss in chilli lime mayonnaise and refrigerate.
CHILLI LIME MAYONNAISE
- 100 g 3 1/2 oz Kewpie (QP) or whole egg mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Taberu rayu table chilli
- 2 teaspoons Japanese tonkatsu sauce or HP sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
LETTUCE CUPS
- 4 baby gem lettuces
- 20 whole paradise or banana prawns, shrimp (about 650 g/1 lb 7 oz), or 300 g (101/2 oz) green prawn meat
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 125 g 41/2 oz Chilli lime mayonnaise, as above
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
Tabery Rayu Table Chilli
- 475 ml 16 fl oz roasted sesame oil
- 200 g 7 oz red onions, finely diced
- 50 g 1¾ oz ginger, finely diced
- 50 g 1¾ oz garlic, finely diced
- 2 bird’s eye chillies, finely diced
- 100 g 3½ oz spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
- 100 g 3½ oz Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru hot)
- 40 g 11/2 oz sweet smoked paprika
- 2 level tablespoons shichimi togarashi
- 40 ml 1¼ fl oz mirin
- 40 ml 1¼ fl oz light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons shio kombu, optional
- 2 level tablespoons sugar
- 2 level tablespoons salt
- 4 tablespoons 40 g/1½ oz white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons 20 g/¾ oz black sesame seeds
- 600 ml 20½ fl oz grapeseed oil
Instructions
To Make Taberu rayu table chilli:
- Heat the sesame oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat. — Add the red onions, ginger, garlic and bird’s eye chilli and fry, without colouring, for around 4–5 minutes. — Add the spring onions and fry until soft and transparent. — Add the chilli flakes, smoked paprika and shichimi togarashi and cook until the mixture is deep red and becoming more of a paste. — Add the mirin and soy, and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated. — Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes, then add the kombu (if using), sugar, salt and sesame seeds, and stir through. — Add the grapeseed oil and heat until the mixture begins to bubble, and the oil turns a rich red colour. — Turn off the heat and allow to cool naturally. — Once cold, refrigerate in an airtight container until required, for up to 2 months.
To Make The Lettuce Cups:
- Trim the base of the baby gem lettuces and remove the large outer leaves. Choose 14 of the best-shaped leaves, and reserve the remaining leaves for a salad.
- Wash and drain the leaves, then store in an airtight container lined with paper towel and refrigerate.
- If using whole prawns, peel the prawns and arrange them between layers of paper towel in an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before use.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan until it begins to froth, and sauté the prawns or prawn meat gently until just cooked.
- Set aside to cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled.
- Once cold, cut the prawns into 1 cm (1⁄2 in) pieces, toss in chilli lime mayonnaise, and refrigerate.
- To serve, arrange the lettuce cups on a tray, and fill each with one tablespoonful of the prawn mixture, mounded to give some height. Lightly dust with paprika through a small, fine sieve and serve immediately.
The Dinner Party by Martin Benn and Vicki Wild (Hardie Grant, £30), Photography © Kristoffer Paulsen