Prawn and Mango Salad with Avocado
Serves: 2
Time: 30 mins
I tend to go for salads that are uncomplicated, with just a few ingredients. However every now and then I find a salad that works better when you go all out and pack it full of everything. This is one of those salads; you could easily add more ingredients without compromising it, even though it already has most of the fridge in there. Last week I mentioned that I was going to use frozen packet prawns as I am in NZ, staying in a small coastal town that doesn’t have a fresh fish market. I am happy to report that this was the dish and the prawns were fantastic. I chose a New Zealand product and they smelt and tasted super fresh. But when choosing frozen, one thing I would strongly suggest is to check the ingredients list to make sure there is nothing hidden in there you don’t want.
Leftovers
This salad may look massive but it is light, so expect to eat the whole thing. For lunch tomorrow instead, you could go with one of my favs - stuffed avocado.
Save The Bag
Unless you are feeling real keen on eating a whole lot of prawns you most likely will only use half the bag as generally they come in 1 kg. Only take out what you need and keep the rest in the freezer for a really yummy easy whip up emergency dinner like maybe garlic prawns with angel hair pasta.
What you'll need
500g of frozen prawns
2 carrots
1 small mango
1 avocado
1/2 bunch of red radishes
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 red onion
1 spring onion
1/4 cup pepita seeds
1/2 cucumber
1/4 iceberg lettuce
1 small bunch of coriander
1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons butter
From the Pantry
olive oil
Optional Lunch Extras
2 avocados
2 small tins of tuna
mayo
sweet corn kernels
Feeding Four?
Most of the frozen prawns come in 1 kg bags so use the whole bag and half the iceberg lettuce. In the shopping list I have added another small mango and 1 avocado.
Prep
Defrost Prawns
Defrost Prawns
I will do this the night before by taking them out of the freezer, placing inside a bowl and popping into the fridge. The next night, when you are getting ready, remove them from the fridge and place in a colander in the sink to finish defrosting.
I choose prawns with the tails on because I like the way they look, but it would be a lot easier to eat if you remove the tails before cooking.
Prep Veggies
Slice both peppers in half and rip out the seeds, giving the pepper a tap to get out any lingering seeds. Slice the pepper lengthways so that the pieces look like small matchsticks.
Cut the cucumber in half and then into quarters and remove the seeds, then slice into a similar cut as the pepper.
Slice radishes in half and then into thin semi-circles. I like to soak my radishes in water, as they can vary greatly in flavour. This helps to soften the peppery heat that they often have.
Peel carrots and cut in half, then slice in half lengthways and cut into thin pieces.
Slice red onion in half and peel, then follow the grain of the onion to slice lengthways.
Wash iceberg lettuce and shred.
Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone, scoop out the flesh then slice lengthways.
Peel and finely chop garlic.
Finely chop the spring onion.
Wash coriander, picking the leaves off but leaving some on a long stalk.
How Do You Peel Your Mangoes?
My method will vary depending on my purpose but one of the best ways I find to get a clean line with a mango is to stand it up on its bum and slice down either side of the stone so that you have two cheeks, then take a large kitchen spoon similar to a serving spoon and scoop the mango out like you would an avocado. Then trim off the fruit that's left behind on either side of the stone.
Slice Mango
Cut mango into long thin slithers and add to the salad.
Make Dressing
Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a jar, along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper. ( I like a really tart dressing for this salad). Shake well.
Cook Prawns
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan. Sauté off the prawns for two minutes until they start to change colour, add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic has begun to soften. Add the butter and season well with salt and pepper. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon, toss and remove from the heat. Set the prawns aside (you don’t want these to be piping hot when you add them to the salad or everything will wilt).
Plate it Pretty
Combine all the salad ingredients together but keep half the avocado and half of the coriander for garnish.
Dress the salad and season with sea salt flakes and fresh cracked pepper. Toss well.
Pile the salad up in a large serving bowl. Scatter over the top with the prawns.
Top with the remaining avocado. I placed mine in almost clock work positions. Then scatter over the top with the pumpkin seeds and the remaining coriander.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
If you look at the salad once it’s complete and are thinking I’m crazy there is no way two of you will eat that then maybe separate some out to have as a veggie salad tomorrow. But if you love this one and smash the whole thing then you are probably gonna need some tasty stuffed avocados.