The Szechuan salt gives a tongue tingling effect while the chilli provides a spicy hot hit. Use a flaky sea salt such as Maldon for these.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
24 large raw prawns, shell on
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Szechuan salt
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon caster sugar
½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt
Chilli and lime salt
1 long red chilli
finely grated zest 1 lime
1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt
To serve
lime wedges
METHOD
Szechuan salt: Put the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry sauté pan and place over a medium heat until they smell fragrant and are lightly toasted.
Place in a mortar and pestle with the pepper, caster sugar and Chinese five spice and grind finely. Add the salt and give a couple of light grinds to combine the flavors but leave most of the salt flakes whole.
Chilli salt: Halve the chilli, scrape out the seeds and chop finely. Place in a mortar and pestle with the lime zest and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Grind finely then add the remaining salt and give a couple of light grinds to combine with the chilli but leave most of the salt flakes whole.
Prawns: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wok and cook the prawns until they have turned pink and are just cooked.
To serve: Pile up the prawns in a large bowl and put the salts in separate bowls. Serve with the lime wedges and finger bowls of warm water for washing sticky fingers.
Pantry Note:
Szechuan (also Sichuan or Szechwan) pepper: the dried berry of a prickly ash tree, Szechuan pepper is a mildly hot spice with a distinctive flavour and a slightly numbing effect in the mouth if used in large quantities. Available from Asian food stores.
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126
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