A big bucket of cooked prawns is a staple for an Aussie Christmas. This year, skip the jarred sauces and make your own, it’s ridiculously fast! Choose from: Cocktail Seafood Sauce, Tartare, Marie Rose / Thousand Island, or a Thai Chilli Lime Sauce for something fresher. Or our Family Favourite Sauce!
A couple of weeks ago, we catered my mother’s annual Christmas party for 30 of her friends. I’ve noticed that we get approached to do this every 2nd year. I think that the organisers assume that we’re scarred by the experience (something to do with our bedraggled appearance at the end?) and that by leaving a year in between, the memory fades and we only remember how much we enjoyed it so we never say no.
Very clever.
We mix it up from year to year. But two things have always remained a constant: Maple Glazed Ham and freshly cooked prawns with dipping sauces. There’s no doubt these two are always the most popular items there.
And thus the job of peeling 5 kg / 10lb of fresh cooked prawns always appears on the list as the most undesirable task for the party. I never put up my hand for that one. So I remain silent until someone volunteers. I say “someone”, but it’s always mother. It happens to her multiple times each year, like a big beach BBQ we went to last month where she was asked to peel and skewer 3kg/6lb of raw prawns (which is even more of a pain!).
I will peel prawns for my mother’s friends. But that is not the Aussie way for a gathering of family and friends. Our way is to dump whole, unpeeled prawns in large bowls and buckets with an assortment of dipping sauces on the Christmas Feasting Table.
Peel your own, mate!
I know it’s real easy to pick up a jar of store bought, especially because at this time of the year, the supermarkets and fish shops are so kind as to put out displays stands jam packed with all sorts of seafood sauces right where the prawns are.
But with little effort – and I’m talking a few minutes – you can make your own and the fresh flavour you’ll enjoy will make you turn up your nose at the jarred stuff. It’s just not the same, the jarred stuff has an edge of artificialness. And I know this for sure because I bought a couple of jars while I was refining these prawn dipping sauces just to do side by side taste tests so I could truly say in all honesty that I think these homemade ones are better.
The freshness – you just can’t get the same freshness in store bought.
So here they are!
1. Marie Rose / Thousand Island Sauce – yep, they’re basically the same thing. You’ll find little tweaks and variations of the two all over the place, but a basic pink sauce made with mayo and ketchup with some seasonings is really all this is. It actually doesn’t have much flavour, and it’s not intended to. It’s a neutral sauce that let’s the flavour of the prawns really shine.
2. Seafood Cocktail Sauce – This is the punchier flavoured version of Marie Rose. The sauce itself actually has flavour, it’s tangy and kind of savoury, with more layers of flavour because there’s more ingredients in this. I’m a big fan of this one, love the tanginess.
3 Tartare Sauce – just like what you get at the local fish and chip shop! (Except better, because you can actually taste the gherkins and capers in it)
4 Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Dipping Sauce – because not everyone likes mayo based dipping sauces! The flavours in this with sweet juicy prawns is simply a match made in heaven.
5 RecipeTin Family Favourite Prawn Dipping Sauce – it’s basically a jacked up Marie Rose Sauce, with the added freshness of dill. This is what we served with the prawns at my mother’s Christmas Party and everybody commented on how they loved it, especially the fresh dill flavour. So I thought I should share it.
6. More Sauces! Try these sauces from other recipes I’ve shared that will go great with prawns! Spicy Thai Mango Dipping Sauce, use Honey Mustard Dressing as a sauce (perfect prawn dipping consistency), Sweet & Sour Sauce, Lemon Cream Sauce, Creamy Dill Sauce.
Personally, I would provide 2 dipping sauces. Good rule of thumb is to go by contrasting colours. So, for example, If I knew everyone was fine with mayo, I’d probably do the RecipeTin Family Favourite plus the Cocktail Sauce. I wouldn’t do Marie Rose + Tartare because they are a bit too similar in flavour. If I knew someone health conscious was coming, I’d definitely include the Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Sauce.
But truthfully? Don’t overthink it. Let’s face it. Juicy, fresh cooked prawns are great just as they are, eaten plain. No one will cry if you didn’t even provide a sauce at all, or if you just pulled out a jar of mayo and stirred through a squirt of lemon juice.
Remember, Christmas is supposed to be all about having fun and enjoying this festive time, not stressing out about the menu! – Nagi x
PS Speaking of not stressing out, all those sauces can be made days ahead, with the exception of the Thai one which I would not make more than 1 day ahead, just to ensure the fresh flavour is retained to the max.
PPS Way more important than the sauces is to ensure you get good fresh prawns! ORDER THEM NOW to pick up in the morning of the day you need them (ideal) but if it’s for Christmas Day, pick them up the day before. The seafood stores / fish market is where you’ll get the best quality but in all honesty, at this time of the year, you get great quality cooked prawns at Coles and Woolies too, and they are about 25 – 30% cheaper.
Choose from a classic pink Marie Rose / Thousand Island sauce, Tartare, Seafood Cocktail Sauce, a Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Sauce for something fresher (not everyone likes mayo!) or our Family Favourite Prawn Dipping Sauce, a cross between Marie Rose and Tartare with more freshness and flavour. See notes for description of each sauce. All these sauces will be great with any seafood (fish, squid) and especially with lobster, crab, balmain bugs, scallops etc. No video today - these are all just dump and mix!!
- 2/3 cup / 160 g tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp each mustard powder (or Dijon), onion powder, garlic powder, white sugar
- Dash Tabasco
- 1 tsp lemon juice, fresh
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup / 220g mayonnaise (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp gherkin/cornichon, very finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp capers, drained and finely chopped
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup / 145g mayonnaise (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp fresh horseradish (or sub 1 1/2 tsp jarred)
- Dash of Tabasco
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 5 tbsp / 75g Sweet Chilli Sauce, store bought (I use Trident)
- 2/3 cup / 165 ml lime juice, fresh (4 - 5 limes)
- 5 tbsp / 75 ml olive oil (can sub with neutral oil like canola)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp white sugar (or other)
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup / 145g mayonnaise (Note 1)
- 1/3 cup / 80 g ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp capers, drained and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp gherkin/cornichon, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp eschallot or onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dill leaves, finely chopped
- 1 dash Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 or so dashes of Tabasco
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (adjust to taste)
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Place ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
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Adjust salt to taste (Note 3).
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Place all ingredients except coriander in a bowl, whisk well. Stir through coriander and add salt and pepper to taste. Rest 20 minutes before using.
1. MAYONNAISE: Wow, what a difference good mayonnaise makes to a sauce, I was pretty amazed! My favourite is S&W Whole Egg Mayonnaise and Hellman's, both of which are sold in Australia in supermarkets. Now is not the time to go diet, so no low fat please, completely changes the flavour. If you use a better value mayonnaise (eg. store brand), you will typically find they are sweeter and have slightly less richness (higher water content, less egg), so omit the sugar in every recipe (if applicable) then add at the end to taste.
2. SALTINESS OF SAUCES: Remember that prawns themselves are salty so you don't need the sauce to be super salty. So go easy on the salt - the best way to determine if there's enough salt is to taste test with a prawn (such a big ask!).
3. HOW TO SERVE: Serve sauces with freshly cooked prawns - if you are feeling generous, peel them for your guests. Otherwise, do it the Aussie way and just lay out big bowls of whole prawns and make everyone peel their own! Don't forget to provide bowls for discarding shells, and it's also nice to provide little bowls of water with lemon slices (finger cleaning bowls). Wet towels for cleaning hands is also nice!
4. HOW MUCH PRAWNS TO GET: Entirely depends on how much food there is! Catering 250g / 8 oz of whole uncooked prawns per person is a pretty generous amount, in my view. The reason being that I find that some people lose steam when it comes to the peeling part! If it's part of a larger starter spread with lots of other nibbly things, just 100g/3.5 oz per person is sufficient.
HOW MUCH SAUCE TO MAKE: If you have sauce-greedy family and friends who will try to scoop up as much sauce as possible with every bite (you know who they are!), then 1 cup is only going to be enough for around 1 kg / 2 lb whole uncooked prawns. If they are normal, then it should be enough for 2 kg / 4 lb whole uncooked prawns.
HOW ANY SAUCES TO MAKE: I would generally make 2 sauces, choosing ones that aren't too similar. I would not make Marie Rose + Tartare, or even either of those with the Family Favourite one (too similar). I would pair one of those 3 with the Cocktail Sauce or Thai one.
5. Description of each sauce:
Pink Marie Rose Sauce / Thousand Island sauce - these are essentially the same thing. This sauce has a very neutral flavour that let's the flavour of the prawns really shine.
Tartare Sauce - just like what you get at the local fish and chip shop, but it tastes fresher and more real.
Seafood Cocktail Sauce - the strongest flavoured sauce, this is tangy and has more layers of flavour because of the ingredients in it. Popular sauce sold in jars at supermarkets here in Australia, but homemade tastes so much better - stronger, better flavour and no underlying edge of artificialness. It's the same as the sauces served with shrimp in the US.
Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Sauce - pairs beautifully with prawns, nice alternative to mayo based sauces.
Family Favourite Sauce - a cross between Marie Rose and Tartare, with more flavour. It was a hit at a Christmas Party we recently catered, everyone especially commented on how great the fresh dill flavour was.
LIFE OF DOZER
You’d think I was tossing prawns for him to catch. But no. Just sand. Ever seen such enthusiasm for sand??
Just wanted to say that I made the Marie Rose sauce for our Prawns on Boxing Day dinner, and it was spectacular. Everyone (all 8 of us) loved it and I had to make more. The couple of store ones I had bought didn’t even get touched.
Oh WOW Kim! I absolutely love hearing that, thank you so much for sharing that!! N xx
Wow Nagi, my mouth is watering!
The Thai sweet chili lime is new to me. I love it!
I wanted to wish you and your family, especially Dozer, happy holidays! Merry Christmas!
You too Malika! Merry Christmas! N xx
HI Nagi
I want to wish you and your family (including Dozer of course) a very happy and safe festive season.
I recommend your website to anyone that will listen, I Just love it and can’t wait until you get your own cooking show which I know wI’ll be awesome!
Today I am doing your glazed carrots, tomorrow the noodle salad with creamy peanut sesame dressing and some other things planned over the next couple of weeks.
I think all of your readers really appreciate your genourosity in providing such great and easy recipes.
Cheers and keep up the great work.
Melinda
Oh wow Melinda, what a lovely message to receive this Christmas Eve! I’m so pleased you are enjoying my recipes so much, thank you for letting me know. And Merry Christmas to you too! N xx
Sorry to bother you again but are you able to update these recipes with weights, please? I have been trying to find Australian cup measures to buy but the only ones that seem to be available are US cups which I know are different. Or can you recommend a reliable conversion website as the ones I find all give differing weights and don’t include all ingredients.
Thank you
That’s ok! I’ve updated with weights and ml! 🙂
Such yummy sounding sauces. I confess that last night your Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Dipping Sauce transformed into an ingredient for a something similar to Pad Thai. I added just a bit of soy sauce , combined it with brown rice, wild shrimp, and other Pad Thai type ingredients and YUM! My husband has already asked if we can do that again.
Your recipes are often “just what I wanted to try” – I really appreciate them. I hope you and yours (Dozer, too) have a very Happy and Yummy Christmas –
Ohhh I love that Kathleen! Sounds terrific 🙂 Merry Christmas to you too! N x
Thanks for all the delish recipes I have enjoyed cooking. You truly are an inspirational lady who thankfully for your readers followed your passion.
I’m sure Christmas with your family will be an absolute zoo but definitely full of amazing food and loads of laughs.
My CEO said to me yesterday he was just about ready for Christmas but wanted to find some dipping sauces for the seafood, what timing as I pulled a sheet of paper from my handbag.
Wishing you and your family + the big hairy one a safe and happy Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you too Barb!! I LOVE hearing that you whipped out these recipes for your CEO!!! Brownie points!! 😂 N xx
Hi Nagi
I think the Family Favourite Sauce will get the nod. Anything with Worcestershire Sauce in it must be good.
We hope you and your family and Dozer will have a great Christmas.
We have loved trying many of your recipes during the year and look forward to the 2018 ones.
Lyn and David
Merry Christmas to you too Lyn and David! Thank you for trying my recipes, and here’s to more great food in 2018! N xx
Absolutely lovely! Of course one just uses a big platter or two for a long table, and dumps the freshly cooked prawns on them! Fun and togetherness and lots of laughing ‘yuck’s at some of the inevitable mess 🙂 !! Just love your Thai chilli sauce and that will be made just a couple of days down what with my being just a tad ‘allergic’ to the mention of ‘Marie Rose’ – have been presented with so many ‘bleh’ ones! Also want to try your ‘family favourite’ which must have earned the title for obvious reasons!! Enjoy eating, all of you . . . and, Dozer, am certain Santa will turn up 🙂 !
Ba ha ha! I LOVE your description of how we do it!! PS Santa doesn’t come if you’ve been naughty…..so I’m not sure Dozer should expect him? 😂
These look amazing Nagi! I can’t even decide which one to make first. Pinning!
I’m having the same problem, I think I’m making 4 of them this Christmas! 😂
Hello Nagi,
Approximately, how many limes would u need to buy to get 2/3’s of a cup?
And your prawns always look so yummy! Are they tiger?
Have a great Christmas xxx
Thanks for asking Tania, I’ll add it! 3 big juicy ones or 4 normal size. I’d get 5 to be safe though! N x PS Updating recipe
Nagi I just wanted to wish you and your family a merry Christmas you are an inspiration to many of us and all your recipes are amazing and easy for us unskilled cooks to do because of your comprehensive instructions keep up the great work.
Thank you for the love message Rob! Merry Christmas to you and your family too, thank you for reading and I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! N xx
My husband is going to absolutely love these sauces. He loves any kind of sauce and it seems he can’t eat his meal if he doesn’t have some kind of sauce to put on his food! These sauces will also be perfect when his sister comes to visit in about 6 weeks. I plan to order some fresh shrimp to cook since she also thinks all seafood comes from a box, just like her brother used to! LOL! We will cook shrimp and have all 5 sauces for dipping. Now I am really getting hungry!
Looks like Dozer is happy to be in the sand and water. Golden and Labrador Retrievers love the water. I had a Lab and I couldn’t keep her out of the water!
Nagi, I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I can’t wait to see what recipes you bring us in 2018!
Love hearing that Naomi!!! Your lucky sister in law – you’re going to SPOIL HER!! Merry Christmas to you too Naomi, I hope Santa spoils YOU rotten, N xx
I would choose Thai Sweet Chilli Lime Dipping Sauce because I like a mix of different flavours. Merry Christmas time.
I totally agree Cam! It’s definitely a favourite amongst my friends 🙂 Merry Christmas to you! N xx
Just a question, Nagi. I have wanted to ask this question for a long time, just haven’t found the right person to ask. YOU ARE IT! I noticed that in quite a few recipes and restaurants, the prawns (shrimp) are served with (UGH!) the eyes still on them. WHY? Do people actually eat the eyes? Can the entire head of the shrimp just be lopped off before cooking and serving? Maybe it is an American thing, I don’t know, but those eyes staring at me just gross me out. What say Nagi? Your sauces look absolutely ah-may-zing! Thank you for my daily dose of Dozer!
Don’t mind the head being left on…can’t stand restaurants that don’t remove the poo strip! Blecht.
Merry Christmas to you Nagi and Dozer and your Mom and family; and thank you for inspiring me this year.
Merry Christmas to you too Lisa!! N xx
Hi Joan!! I know seeing the head grosses some people out! 🙂 Believe it or not, it’s left on for presentation purposes. People think it looks great and also that it let’s people know that they are fresh prawns, not frozen ones because the head goes yucky for defrosted prawns 🙂 People eat the entire head including eyes of really small shrimp / prawns, called school prawns, but they don’t look as bug eyed as prawns like these that are peeled. I do NOT eat the head of big prawns like this but some people (Asians!) will break off the head and suck the stuff out of the head. I am told it is sweet and tasty, I haven’t tried it myself. 🙂 N xx
Love your recipes! I have made a lot of them as well and they never disappoint!
Love the pictures from Dozer…
Happy Holidays from The Netherlands.
Thanks Corinne, I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes! Thank you for your lovely message, and Merry Christmas to you too! N xx
Nagi, I am so glad I found your site and have been expanding my recipes. This one is just perfect as we all love prawns. Merry Christmas to you and yours, especially Dozer, from California.
Merry Christmas to you too! I’m so glad you found me too, and that you’re enjoying my recipes! N xx