Prawns and palm hearts cocktail, an easy and delicious appetizer
Total: 15 min Diners: 2
I’ve always thought prawn cocktails were great, even though they can be an aberration that kills the main product. I am horrified to be served it at weddings -something very common in Spain- when the crustacean is overcooked, chewy and there is pineapple involved, but I love it when someone makes a modern and surprising version that hooks me.
That happened to me with the palm hearts in golf sauce that Javier Brichetto gave me to try at Piantao and that’s where this recipe comes from. It is very evolved and bears little resemblance to that one, but the inspiration is there. I discovered that the hearts of palm is wonderful lightly grilled with a little butter (or oil for those who shy away from this fantastic beef fat that we should be less afraid to use) and that it does not need more than a little rich pink sauce or golf sauce and prawns.
Golf sauce, or pink sauce, is also one of those forgotten travelers of our gastronomy. Now it is hardly found in any recipe and look at the fried prawns with kataifi pasta and pink sauce or stuffed eggs with tuna and corn with pink sauce are two fantastic recipes. For me it is essential to start with a homemade mayonnaise made from mild olive oil and then season, in addition to ketchup, with a little mustard, Perrins sauce and the final touch of whiskey that I think gives it a kick.
Another thing I pay a lot of attention to is the prawns so I don’t overcook them and they are very juicy and mellow inside, just with the grill of the oven for a minute. Nothing more. But you could also grill or blanch them if you prefer. Even with a touch of a blowtorch would be enough. In Spain we don’t eat palm hearts very much, but I think they deserve a new life, try them like this.
How to make prawn and palm hearts cocktail
Ingredients
Ingredients
Mahonnaise, 200 g Ketchup, 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Perrins sauce, a few drops Whisky, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, a pinch
For the rest of the dish
Canned hearts of palm, 3 pcs Prawns, 10 pcs Fresh coriander leaves, to taste Butter or olive oil, 1 teaspoon Oil, one teaspoon Salt, tsp
Step 1
Drain the palm hearts very well from the water in the jar and pass them through normal tap water placed over a strainer, this way they will get rid of the preserved flavor they may have. Portion the hearts of palm by cutting them into slices of one centimeter, or a little bigger, it’s okay.
Step 2
If we do not have mayonnaise, assemble it. Once the mayonnaise is assembled, mix it with the ketchup and also with the mustard, Perrins sauce and whiskey. If we wanted we could add a spicy point that many people like with a little tabasco or sriracha sauce or chili powder, depending on what we like.
Step 3
Heat the butter until it melts in the pan and brown the hearts of palm in it, on both sides, adding a little salt. We want them to brown because that caramelization will look wonderful on our warm salad.
Step 4
Peel the prawns and arrange the bodies in a tray suitable for the oven, adding a little olive oil and salt. Save the heads because they will serve us to make a wonderful broth.
Step 5
Bake the prawn bodies under the broiler of the oven, previously preheated to high, for just a minute or even less, we only want them to be lightly cooked on that side but to be mellow underneath and inside.
Step 6
Place the sautéed hearts of palm mixed with the prawns and drizzle with the golf sauce or pink sauce, also add some coriander leaves. We could add some slices of ripe avocado throughout the salad that would come in handy or even some chopped lettuce in chiffonade which is something very typical of the shrimp cocktail.