Lock down braai: Portuguese prawns

ByCape Fish

This national lockdown has created some unexpected down time, forcing us to properly appreciate the little things. We feel a good place to start is with our perfect braai trio: prawns, butter and peri-peri. To celebrate this heavenly combo, we suggest you try this ultimate lockdown recipe for a quick, fuss-free prawn dish with Portuguese flare. Cape Fish is now stocking Delagoa Bay sauces, and between their three flavours there’s a style for all palates, even the fussy ones.

Delagoa Bay Piri-Piri Sauce Co. use hand-picked ingredients and try, wherever possible, to source them locally.

  • Herb ButterMelt uses real butter, with a subtle hint of coconut cream and lemon;
  • Piri ButterMelt has the butter coconut cream base with a little added kick (it recently won a Gold Star at the Great Taste Awards in the UK);
  • And the oil based Traditional Piri-Piri offers an extra kick that builds but never burns.

Those of you trying to stay healthy during lockdown needn’t worry, as they’re all sugar free, and contain no gluten or preservatives. These exceptional basting sauces can be applied during the cooking process or served as a side sauce with the meal to really top it off.

Top tips from our braai-masters

Before the braai kicks off, butterfly the prawns by splitting the shell from the meat with a sharp serrated knife.

When the fire is ready, pop the prawns on the braai, with the meat facing down. This will flame grill the meat, giving it a bit more flavour.

Flip the prawns over and the baste them generously with the Delagoa sauce, then allow the prawns to cook through.

 

By braaiing them in this manner, the Delgaoa Bay basting sauce will pool in the shell cavity and absorb into the meat without running into the fire. This means you’ll avoid kick-starting a flame, which would just burn the meat and kill the flavour.

Once again, you want the meat to be slightly underdone in the centre, so keep a watchful eye on those prawns and be sure to whip them off before they overcook.

Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste, and grab a complementary glass of chilled wine or beer (if you haven’t already depleted your lockdown stash). We hope our simple, delicious Portuguese prawn recipe allows you to soak in the sun and enjoy a beautiful coastal braai.