Butterfly prawns and jewelled couscous

Caiger’s Recipes: Butterflied Prawns with Jewelled Couscous

Butterflied Prawns in Moroccan Spices
Serves Four

16 king prawns

One tablespoon of Ras el Hanout

Salt and pepper

Two lemons, zested

Six tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil


To butterfly the prawns, start by removing the shells and then slice the prawn along its back about five millimetres deep. You should be just deep enough to see the intestine tract, if the prawn has one. Remove this from the prawn and then repeat this process with the others.

Mix all of the other ingredients in a bag and add the prawns.

Leave to marinade in the spices for at least one hour in the fridge.

Cooking: grill or fry on medium heat for three to six minutes or until cooked.


Serve with Jewelled Couscous
Serves Four

200g couscous

One vegetable stock cube

One litre of water

One red pepper

One yellow pepper

One courgette

Two to three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

70g of mixed dried cranberries, sour cherries and sultanas


Boil the water and add the stock cube.

Rub some of the oil through the couscous. Add the stock to the couscous until just covered. Stir through the stock and cover with cling film.

Finely chop the vegetables into small cubes – the smaller the better as they will look more elegant.

Stir the couscous with a fork to break up any biggish lumps. Add a bit more oil if necessary and more stock if still al dente.

When the couscous is done, stir through vegetables and dried fruit.

Top with the prawns and enjoy!

Alix Caiger is based in Shepherds Bush and is a Leiths-trained caterer who runs her own business: caigerandcocatering.co.uk;  caigerskitchen.wordpress.com

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