Hi, I am Johnny Marsh.
I am the chef at Johnny Marsh.
Welcome to my series on retro food.
In this episode I am going to show you my take on a prawn cocktail.
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First up is this wicked little recipe is I am going to be cooking off the prawns because
I am going to serving the prawns hot.
Then I am going to go on to the sauce.
So, what I have got is, I have got my pan hot, oil in.
And a little tip for this is that I am going to add butter to oil, so the butter does not
burn.
So we have got that.
Just wait until that foams.
Pans hot.
Butter foaming.
Prawns go in.
Make sure you can hear it fry.
There is nothing like some boiled fish.
Put that to one side.
I am just going to leave the prawns to cook now while I crack on with the sauce.
In this sauce, all it is, is mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
So, say I have squeezed for three, three and a half seconds ketchup again, four seconds
squeezing.
Worcestershire sauce, this is the kind of, for me is the secret little weapon in this
recipe.
Adds a bit of a depth to it.
Smoked paprika.
Can not have a prawn cocktail without smoked paprika.
Give it a mix.
For the full recipe all you need to do is check the description box.
Give it a quick try.
True indeed, it needs a touch of salt.
You have got your sauce finished.
You have got your prawns cooking.
And what I have done is I check in on the prawns here.
I turn them over when they start to get crispy.
Turned them over and I took off the pan.
I took off the heat.
So, I have just let them rest in the butter, so they are going to be moist.
They are not going to be dry and they are still going to be warm as you serve it.
To me this recipe is wicked and it is easy.
I serve this recipe in the restaurant.
It is quick and easy and it goes to show that old recipes never die.
So, now I have got everything cooked, sauce made, prawns cooked, cream done.
I am going to show that in the presentation.
I have got two forms of presentation here.
Standard cocktail glass, real 1970s and your kind of your new kind of deep glass shape.
You can not have a prawn cocktail without your standard gem lettuce.
So, what I am going to do is I am going to quickly shred it.
It does not have to be military thin.
However, whatever standard you are at is fine.
I have got my two glasses here.
And it is literally you can plate up as you cook.
The gem forms the base of the prawn cocktail.
So, now I have got that done.
I have got my prawns to assemble.
You bring that over.
Remember these are hot, so it is a bit of a take on the old standard code.
However, you want to do it.
Obviously, if you are going to do it in a bowl, depending on what you want to eat, you
can do it in a massive bowl.
So, now I am going to add the sauce.
There is no point making a wicked sauce like this if you are just going to be stingy on
it.
Lay that right over.
Also, what I did is grilled some prosciutto ham which adds a different element to the
dish and we are building, building layers all the time.
So, just on the side.
And this is my chefery coming out.
So,I have got myself whip cream which is a savory cream with salt, pepper, and some chopped
parsley.
I have got a spoon soaking in some boiling water.
What I am going to do is, this is called a rough shave, it is just a fancy old way, real
pretentious but.
Add a touch of caviar.
this is exactly what we do in the restaurant.
Touch of caviar on top.
Again, this adds a little bit of elegance to the dish, rather than it just being a standard
1970s prawn cocktail.
Another little tip, a touch of lemon juice.
And if you see I have taken out the sides to avoid the big pips.
Just squeeze on top.
And this is just a little bit of cress just to brighten it up.
A touch more salad to it.
And that people is my take on a modern prawn cocktail brought right back from the 1970s
into today.
And if you like this and want to see more recipes like this, hit the subscribe button.
I hope to see you next time.
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