Carolyn™ - Outdoor Cooking In Oz

A FUN NIGHT AT THE SYDNEY SEAFOOD COOKING SCHOOL

We attended at the Sydney Fish Markets a Seafood cooking night which was fun.  The tables were set up for 5 so we got to meet and share the experience with a nice young couple.   I had never cleaned and prepared Squid or Calamari before but am a fast prawn peeler.  After a demonstration we were put to work at our kitchen stations and later went to the dinning room to eat our cooking.  There is no reason these couldnt be cooked when camping.


The Wine we had was a Nepenthe 2009 Savuignon Blanc and came from the Adelaide Hills, Australia and was an excellent match to the seafood.  The recipes were simple and with ingredients that can be obtained at most places.

Salt & Pepper Prawns

Crab, oysters, squid or cuttlefish

Can also be used in this recipe

Serves 6 as an entrée

Ingredients

1kg medium sized green prawns

Vegetable oil to deep fry

3 egg whites lightly beaten

1 cup tapioca starch (you could use rice or corn flour)

¼ iceberg lettuce shredded

1 tablespoon prinkly ash (recipe follows)

3 green onion sliced on the diagonal to garnish

2 medium red chillies thinly sliced to garnish

Lemon/Lime wedges to serve.

Method

Peel and devein prawns leaving tails intact.

Heat oil to 180C

When ready to cook, dip as man prawns as can be cooked in l batch in egg white. Drain well. 

(Frying needs to be done in 2 more batches.  Its important prawns are not coated in egg and tapioca starch until just before they are fried and that oil is skimmed of any debris after each frying and allowed to return to the correct temperature between batches, otherwise prawns will be soggy and oily instead of crisp.

Dip in tapioca starch and shake off excess.

Lower prawns into hot oil

Deep-fry prawns for approximately l minute (depending on size)

Drain on paper towel.

Repeat egg and tapioca steps with next batch, allowing the oil to return to correct temperature before frying next batch.

Arrange cooked prawns on a bed of shredded lettuce and sprinkle with prickly ash.

Scatter green onions and chilli over the top – serve with lemon/lime wedges.

Prickly Ash – Makes ½ cup

¼ cup salt flakes

¼ cup Sichuan peppercorns

Heat salt and Sichuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat until salt is lightly browned, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Pound to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

Sieve to remove any large particles

Set aside until required.  Best as soon as made but can be kept in an airtight jar for up to 2 months, use over vegetables, seafood or poultry.

Chilli Salt Squid – serves 6 as an entrée

1 K medium sized squid

Vegetable oil to deep fry

¼ cup salt flakes

¼ cup chilli powder (or to taste)

2 cups tapioca starch (or corn or rice flour)

2 egg whites lightly beaten.

Clean squid and slice into thin strips

Heat oil to 200C

Crush salt and combine with chilli and tapioca starch

Dip squid into egg whites.  Drain Well

Dip into chilli mixture and shake off excess

Deep fry squid in 2-3 barches for 30 seconds.  Allow oil to return to correct temperature before frying each batch.

Drain well and serve with Noodle Salad with Lime and Coriander dressing.

Noodle Salad with Lime & Coriander Dressing

Serves 6 as an accompaniment

2 tablespoons palm sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

2/3 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

250g rice noodles (best to use are between the size of spaghetti and linguine)

Combine all except for rice ingredients

Pour boiling water over rice noodles and loosen with tongs to separate noodles

Leave to stand until noodles soften (approximately 15 minutes)

Drain and rinse well under cold water.  Drain well.

Stir dressing to ensure sugar has dissolved andpour over noodles

Toss to combine.