Grilled Prawns with Ginger Mango Salsa

I think I'm passed through the "shocked" stage of losing my files and photos. I was surprised I didn’t panic but I could feel that my jaw dropped after learning about it. As I turned on my computer that day, the screen was blank and the only solution is to turn off the main switch. The computer shop says that my local area network has been damaged. Although they said they will try to save something from my hard drive, they couldn’t do anything at all. What happened to my computer is quite mysterious and with my limited computer knowledge, I have no idea what to do. What is gone is already gone and it’s time to do something new.


Cilantro, Basil and Mint

Now that I’m starting over to write and work with what I used to do, my brother in law suggested to have a back up through a portable hard drive or an online storage. But he says that another thing I could do is to open up two yahoo email accounts (because the storage is unlimited) and send the file to myself. It may not be the fastest way but at least the files would be there just in case something happens with the other. And when you’re traveling, you have your files with you anytime you want it. It’s not the best solution but I think it's good enough.



My brother has been harvesting a lot of mangoes lately in our garden and these are the mangoes that the squirrels love to eat. That’s right, squirrels and there are two of them. I think they traveled all the way from our neighbor’s house just to eat our apple mangoes. I just know they’re here when I see a clean mango seed on the ground the next morning. Sometimes we could hear them at night but we don’t want to mess up with these guys. If I were to sell these mangoes at the farmer’s market, I could label them as "ultra sweet". They are really sweet. They have to be eaten even while the skin is still green but with a slight pressure when you touch them.



I always love the combination of mangoes and prawns and the simplicity of this dish allows both ingredients to stand out. The mangoes impart a very fragrant and sexy aroma that is simply irresistible. They are quite addicting as well once you start eating them. For this salsa, I like to add ginger for some zing and chili oil that my brother bought from Thailand for extra kick. I also garnish the dish with some watercress for spiciness and freshness. At home, I tossed everything together, but this prawn dish is also a great and elegant first-course



Grilled Prawns with Ginger Mango Salsa

Makes 6 servings

2 medium apple mangoes
1-inch piece fresh ginger root
¼ cup cilantro leaves
¼ cup Thai or Vietnamese basil leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tsp Thai chili oil, to taste
½ lime
unrefined sea salt, to taste

18 large prawns (about 1 lb)
3 mirin or rice wine
unrefined sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper

2 tbsp rice bran or grapeseed oil

2 cups watercress, to serve

To prepare the mango salsa, peel and dice the mangoes, peel and grate the ginger through a microplane zester. Next, mince the cilantro, basil and mint. Combine everything in a bowl and toss to combine. Add the chili oil and squeeze the lime juice. Season with salt to taste. Cover and set aside while you prepare the prawns.

To prepare the prawns, peel and devein the prawns leaving the tail intact. Place in a bowl and add the mirin and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

To cook the prawns, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, dip a piece of paper towel into a bit of oil and lightly coat the pan. Then place the prawns into the pan and cook for 1 minute or so per side.

To serve the prawns, lay some watercress on a plate, top with 3 prawns and spoon the mango salsa on the side or on top. Serve immediately.

Notes:

Gluten-free; Dairy-Free

If you happen to have some extra prawns, why not make this Lemon-Coriander Prawns from Rouxbe Online Cooking School. It's actually my first video recipe. You won't regret trying this.

Love and light,



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