My twist on a traditional prawn cocktail uses natural yoghurt – giving us lots of gut-friendly bacteria – and avocado to achieve a super-smooth, creamy sauce, as opposed to calorific mayo.
Ingredients
- 350g fresh or frozen peeled cooked prawns, from sustainable sources
- 800g baby new potatoes
- 1 ripe avocado
- 6 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
- 2 lemons
- ½ a bunch of fresh basil (15g)
- 1 cucumber
- 4 spring onions
- ½ an iceberg lettuce
- 200g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes, on the vine
- 2 punnets of cress
- extra virgin olive oil
- 200g fresh podded peas
- 1 fresh red chilli
Method
If using frozen prawns, defrost overnight in the fridge or simply place in a bowl of cold water while you prep everything else, to save time.
Cook the new potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through, then drain and steam dry. Squash them into a large bowl and put aside. Meanwhile, peel and destone the avocado, putting the flesh into a blender with the yoghurt and the juice of 1 lemon. Pick a small handful of baby basil leaves into a cup of cold water for later, then add the rest of the bunch to the blender and blitz it all until smooth. Taste and season to perfection, loosening with a splash of water, if needed.
Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways, scrape out the watery core and finely slice. Trim and finely slice the spring onions. Halve and finely slice the iceberg. Quarter the cherry tomatoes. Snip the cress. Add it all to the bowl of potatoes and dress with 1 tablespoon of oil and the juice of the remaining lemon. Taste, season to perfection, and divide between your plates.
Drain the prawns well, if needed, then toss with 2 tablespoons of the sauce and the fresh peas, to coat. Portion them up, elegantly spooning the remaining sauce on top. Finely slice and scatter over the chilli, to taste, then tuck in.
