The Reinvented Chilli, Salt and Pepper Prawn

I’ve been cooking with a lot of seafood lately and loving every mouthful. Seafood in Australia is something to be so thankful for. Although we import a lot, we also take pride in having some of the freshest and cleanest seafood in the world. Much of the farmed seafood available in countries with larger populations and consumption patterns is subject to harmful chemicals that are not regulated. The farming process is equally as toxic with the heavy use of industrial strength cleaning products to maintain farming equipment. The unfortunate truth about this is that a lot of these chemicals too, end up in seafood that we are consuming. The real evil however, is the disclosure and transparency measures in place. Many governments have very little regulation about what can and cannot be withheld from consumers and the danger is immeasurable.  A lot of heavy metals (mercury, antibiotics and pesticides) can be found in fish without a lot of omega three.

When buying your seafood, always buy fresh if you can and ask where the seafood is coming from. Ensure you are doing your part for sustainable fishing and avoiding seafood that is mass farmed. Pre-packaged seafood that is often bought frozen is imported and not always tested for quality and toxicity. FRESH, FRESH FRESH.

I made a chilli, salt and pepper prawn with a few extras from around Asia. All of the ingredients are readily available in supermarkets.

Ingredients

Serves two

6 large king prawns

3 medium radishes, finely sliced

1 sheet of seaweed, finely sliced

1 large red bullet chill, diced

¼ cup fried onions

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp white pepper

Directions

Start by deveining the prawns. I like to keep as much of the shell on for crunch, so I pierce the back and remove the vein. In  wok or hot pan, heat vegetable oil and add chopped chilli. Toss for a few moments then add prawns, salt and pepper. Don’t turn too much, as you want to achieve crispness on the skin of the prawns. After 3 – 4 minutes add thinly sliced radish and cook for another 3 minutes, tossing quickly. Remove from heat and add friend onions and seaweed. Serve with rice and enjoy.