For a light and summery quick supper or simple starter for an al fresco meal give these delicious baked prawns a go. With a crispy coconut and panko breadcrumb crust they cook to perfection in just 10 minutes in the air fryer. Serve with peppery rocket leaf and shredded spring onion salad and a tangy sweet chilli flavoured mayo to dip.
Kitchen Tools Needed:
- Cole & Mason Holborn Chocolate Wood Salt & Pepper Mills
- Cole & Mason Epping Oil & Vinegar Mister
Ingredients:
- 20 raw jumbo king prawns, peeled but with tails still on (see Tips)
- 1 ½ tablespoons plain flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 25g panko breadcrumbs
- 25g desiccated coconut
- Olive oil in the Epping Cole & Mason Oil & Vinegar Mister, for spraying
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
- Rocket leaves, shredded spring onion and lime wedges, to serve
Method:
- To de-vein the prawns, use a sharp knife to make a cut along the back of each prawn, not all the way through. This will reveal the black intestinal tract which you can then gently lift out and discard with the tip of the knife.
- Place the flour in a shallow dish and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the beaten egg into a second shallow bowl and mix the panko breadcrumbs and coconut in a third shallow bowl.
- Coat each prawn in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Next, dip each floured prawn in the beaten egg then finally roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Program your air fryer to 190 °C (on the air fryer setting) for 10 minutes.
- Place the prawns in the air fryer basket in a single layer (see Tips). Spray lightly with olive oil using the Cole & Mason Epping Oil & Vinegar Mister and cook for 8-10 minutes. Turn the prawns over halfway through cooking. When fully cooked the prawn tails should be pink, the flesh white and firm and the coating crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce and spoon into a small dipping bowl.
- Arrange the hot prawns on a bed of rocket leaves and shredded spring onion. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze and the sweet chilli mayonnaise for dipping.
Tips:
If you don’t have a good fishmonger nearby it may be tricky to find raw jumbo king prawns (sometimes called Madagascan prawns) that are unpeeled or peeled with just their tails left on. But many larger supermarkets sell them in their frozen section. However, fully peeled raw prawns are perfectly fine for this recipe – you just won’t have the tail to hold when dipping the cooked prawn into the chilli mayo!
If using frozen prawns, defrost thoroughly following the pack instructions and pat dry with kitchen paper to remove any excess water before coating in the flour, egg and breadcrumb mixture.
Fresh white or brown breadcrumbs can be used in place of the panko dried breadcrumbs, if you prefer.
Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook the prawns in 2 batches. Don’t over crowd the air fryer basket, leave a little space around each prawn so they cook quickly and evenly.
