Serves 6
Ingredients
270g Yamba Prawns, peeled and deveined.
Prawn Oil
4 carrots
2 celery
2 onion
2 punnets cherry tomato
1 piece red chilli
2 cloves garlic
1 piece bayleaf
4kg dried and blended prawn shells
50ml brandy
4Lvegetable oil
Prawn Mayonnaise
30g egg yolk
170g prawn oil
5g salt
50g verjus
Leek Ash
2 leeks
To serve
2 Lebanese cucumbers
Method
Prawns
Cut twelve 16x16cm squares of baking paper and lightly oil each one. Dice the prawns and divide evenly among the six squares of paper. Place another square of paper onto the prawns. Using a rolling pin, flatten the prawn to a 2mm thick sheet. On a flat top, or very hot dry fry pan, place each sheet and cook for about 5 seconds, flip over and cook on the other side until opaque, approximately 5 seconds.
Prawn Oil
Over a medium heat, fry the carrots, celery and onion until brown. Add in the cherry tomato, chilli, garlic and bayleaf and brown for another minute. Add in the prawn shells and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until toasted. Deglaze the pan with brandy. Cover the mix with 4l of vegetable oil and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 3 hours. Pass through anoil filter.
Prawn Mayonnaise
Whisk the egg yolk and slowly emulsify in prawn oil. Whisk in the salt, followed by the verjus.
Leek Ash
Cut the leeks in half, separate into layers and lay out over a flat tray. Place in an oven at 250C for 10 minutes, turn leeks and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Allow the leeks to cool and blend on high speed to a fine powder. Pass through a fine sieve and store in an airtight container.
To serve
Using a mandolin, thinly slice the cucumbers. Lay over a plate with a slight overlap, slightly smaller than each prawn sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of prawn mayonnaise over the cucumber. Remove the baking paper from the prawns and gently lay over the cucumber, completely covering. Dust lightly with leek ash.