Browned Butter Garlic Prawns with Cauliflower Puree
Simple and elegant. This is my copycat of a meal I had at a posh restaurant in the city which cost 4 times as much as making it at home! Please use fresh prawns for this, not frozen ones. It makes a huge difference. Believe me, I've tried this with frozen before - not good!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Meal, Prawns, Seafood
Servings: 2
Calories: 567cal
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
Garlic Prawns
10 oz / 300 gpeeled prawns(12 to 14 large prawns) (about 500g whole unpeeled prawns)
2clovesgarlic, crushed
2tbspolive oil
Salt and pepper
3tbspwhite wine
Browned Butter
3tbspsalted butter
2garlic cloves, smashed (Note 1)
Cauliflower Puree
1/2medium cauliflower, broken into florets
1 to 3tbspbutter(or to taste)
1/3 to 2/3cupmilk
Salt and pepper
To Serve
Parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Garlic Prawns: Combine ingredients except the wine in a bowl, using your fingers to toss gently. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Cauliflower Puree: Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until soft - about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Transfer cauliflower to a blender or food processor, add butter, 1/3 cup of milk, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, using extra milk to get the texture to your liking. Leave in the blender with the lid on to keep warm.
Browned Butter
Place the butter and garlic in a small silver saucepan or small silver fry pan over medium heat. After a few minutes, the butter will start to foam. Then it will begin to turn brown, begin to smell nutty and little brown flecks will appear.
When the garlic is a golden brown colour, transfer to a small bowl (I pick them out with chopsticks).
When the butter turns a golden brown colour, remove from the stove. Carefully pour the butter into the bowl with the garlic, leaving the brown specks in the saucepan (they are a bit bitter). You should have about 2 tbsp of browned butter.
Cook Prawns
Heat a skillet over high heat (no oil). Add the prawns and cook for 50 seconds or until the underside has just a hint of golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds, then add the wine and cook for another 30 seconds or until the wine has evaporated.
To Serve
Spread about 1 cup of Cauliflower Puree onto a plate. Top with half the prawns, drizzle with browned butter and sprinkle with parsley.
Notes
1. I used smashed garlic cloves in this rather than crushed/minced garlic because it burns and turns bitter. Use the palm of your hand to hit the side of a knife to smash the garlic so it sort of "bursts" open into 2 or 3 largish pieces. The skin will slip right off. (This is also how I peel garlic cloves!)2. The nutrition reflects that even though the Browned Butter calls for 3 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp is discarded. Nutrition for shrimp/prawns only on the left and nutrition with cauliflower puree on the right.