Prawns and (Aussie) Christmas go together like kisses and mistletoe. This salad is a celebratory tumble of colours and textures with bright pops of flavour from the pickles, horseradish and caviar.
You’ll love this dish for Christmas Day, not just because it’s so delicious but because all the elements can be prepared in advance and the salad assembled at the last minute.
This recipe first appeared in my Entertaining cookbook, where there’s a lovely Christmas menu. Do you have it yet?
Serves: 8
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Potatoes and prawns
- 700 grams (24.7 oz) water
- 500 grams (17.6 oz) kipfler potatoes (small), cut into halves (see Tips)
- 24 large raw prawn cutlets, deveined with tails intact
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt, to taste
- 40 grams (1.5 oz) eschalots (shallots) cut into fine dice
Sweet pickled cucumbers
- 150 grams (5 oz) Lebanese cucumbers (approx. 3) peeled, deseeded and cut into fine dice
- 50 grams (2 oz) raw sugar
- 50 grams (2 oz) white wine vinegar
- 100 grams (3.7 oz) water
Horseradish cream
- 80 grams (3 oz) thickened cream
- 50 grams (2 oz) horseradish (see Tips)
- 60 grams (2.2 oz) crème fraîche
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- salt, to taste
Assembly
- 1 tbsp pink peppercorns, optional
- ½ bunch baby radishes, cut into quarters
- 5 sprigs fresh chervil
- 50 grams (2 oz) salmon caviar, optional
Thermomix Method
Potatoes and prawns
1. Place water into mixing bowl. Place Varoma dish into position and weigh potatoes into dish. Secure Varoma lid and steam 15 min/Varoma/speed 2.
2. Insert Varoma tray and place prawns onto tray. Secure Varoma lid and steam 7 min/ Varoma/speed 2. Transfer prawns onto a plate and allow to cool.
3. Check to see if potatoes are cooked. If still hard, cook for a further 10 min/Varoma/speed 2. Transfer steamed potatoes into a large bowl. Add vinegar and oil and season with salt, then toss to coat. Add eschalots and toss to combine. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Sweet pickled cucumbers
4. Place a bowl onto mixing bowl lid and weigh cucumbers into it. Set bowl aside.
5. Place sugar, vinegar and water into mixing bowl and cook 3 min/80°C (175°F)/speed 3. Transfer into bowl with cucumbers and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cover and place into refrigerator until ready to serve. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Horseradish cream
6. Insert Butterfly. Place cream into mixing bowl and beat 30 sec/speed 3.5.
7. Add horseradish, crème fraîche, pepper and salt and mix 10 sec/speed 3. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then blend 30 sec/speed 3. Remove butterfly whisk. Transfer into a bowl and set aside. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Assembly
8. Place peppercorns (optional) into mixing bowl and grind 20 sec/speed 8. Transfer into a small bowl and set aside.
9. Transfer reserved potatoes and prawns onto a large platter. Drain reserved cucumbers and sprinkle over potatoes. Dot with Horseradish cream. Add radishes, ground pink pepper (optional), chervil and salmon caviar (optional). Serve with extra Horseradish cream.
Traditional Method
Potatoes and prawns
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil and simmer potatoes until just cooked. Drain, add vinegar and oil and season with salt, then toss to coat. Add eschalots and toss to combine. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Steam prawns until just cooked, then set aside to cool.
Sweet pickled cucumbers
3. Heat sugar, vinegar and water in a small pot until sugar is dissolved. Add cucumbers and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cover and place into refrigerator until ready to serve. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Horseradish cream
4. Whip cream to soft peaks.
5. Add horseradish, crème fraîche, pepper and salt and gently mix until combined.
Assembly
6. Crush peppercorns (optional) using a mortar and pestle or food processor. Transfer into a small bowl and set aside.
7. Transfer reserved potatoes and prawns onto a large platter. Drain reserved cucumbers and sprinkle over potatoes. Dot with Horseradish cream. Add radishes, ground pink pepper (optional), chervil and salmon caviar (optional). Serve with extra Horseradish cream.
Tips
- Any small potatoes can be used in this recipe; cut larger potatoes into quarters.
- You can replace sherry vinegar with red wine vinegar if you prefer.
- This recipe uses jarred horseradish. You can use fresh horseradish if you prefer. Simply place 50 grams fresh horseradish into mixing bowl and grate 5 sec/speed 7. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl and grate 4 sec/speed 7. Use horseradish as per recipe. (If not using a Thermomix, use a grater to prepare horseradish.)
- You can replace crème fraîche with quark or sour cream.
- You can replace chervil with dill or basil.
- Leftover horseradish cream is delicious with rare roast beef, cold meat and roast potatoes.
More about this recipe
- Head over to my Christmas Hub for planning suggestions, styling tips, music playlists and more.
- Make my Christmas glazed ham.
- You’ll love this Christmas turkey!
- Wondering about gifts? How about making delicious edible presents? Here’s my guide.
- Want more ways with prawns? Try Shane Delia’s BBQ Prawn Kofte Salad.
- Try Thai! This warming curry sauce goes beautifully with prawn.
