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Barbecued prawns with pickled and grilled cucumber

Emma Knowles recipe for barbecued prawns with pickled and grilled cucumber.

By Emma Knowles
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 20 mins cooking plus pickling
  • Serves 6
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Barbecued prawns with pickled and grilled cucumber
A combination of quick-pickled and char-grilled cucumbers makes the salad accompanying these simply grilled prawns something special. Serve with flatbread warmed on the grill at the same time to make this dish more substantial.

Ingredients

  • 1 Lebanese cucumber, half-peeled, halved lengthways and seeds scooped out with a spoon
  • Olive oil, for brushing, plus 2 tbsp extra
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped dill
  • Pinch of dried mint
  • 80 gm thick plain yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus extra wedges (optional) to serve
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ½ long red chilli, finely chopped
  • 24 medium uncooked prawns, heads discarded, butterflied
Quick-pickled cucumber
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber, half-peeled, halved lengthways and seeds scooped out with a spoon, thinly sliced
  • 90 ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp caster sugar

Method

Main
  • 1
    For quick-pickled cucumber, combine ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and set aside to pickle (10-15 minutes).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, heat a barbecue to high. Brush cucumber lightly with olive oil and grill until lightly charred (1-2 minutes).
    Set aside to cool, then coarsely chop and transfer to a bowl. Drain pickled cucumber, reserving liquid, add to charred cucumber along with herbs and season to taste. Whisk 2 tbsp pickling liquid in a bowl with yoghurt, extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, and season to taste. Just before serving, drizzle yoghurt mixture over cucumber, season to taste and toss to lightly coat.
  • 3
    Combine extra olive oil, lemon rind, garlic and chilli in a bowl, season to taste, then brush over flesh side of prawns and barbecue until just cooked through (1-2 minutes). Serve straightaway over cucumber salad.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: Crisp, dry Italian-style white such as vermentino. Drink suggestion by Max Allen