To Boil Prawns
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the prawns
Fill a pot with water and add coarse sea salt to taste.
Bring the water to a rapid boil.
Add the prawns and boil for 6 to 8 minutes.
Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Drain the prawns in a colander.
Cool and serve
Spread the prawns on a large dish or soft cloth to cool.
Once cooled, arrange the prawns on a white napkin on a saucer or small basin.
Garnish with curled parsley before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Prawns
- Provide the main protein, which turns opaque and firm as they cook in boiling water.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the cooking water so the prawns take on flavour as they boil.
The step that matters
Add the prawns and boil for 6 to 8 minutes. Prawns cook quickly, and overcooking makes the flesh tough and rubbery as proteins tighten past the point of tenderness. Timing from the moment the water is at a rapid boil keeps them juicy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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