New York Times recipe: Salt and pepper prawn rolls

Kay Chun
The New York Times
Salt and Pepper Prawn Rolls. Peeled prawns are seasoned, breaded with cornstarch, and fried until super crunchy before getting tucked into toasted rolls. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
Salt and Pepper Prawn Rolls. Peeled prawns are seasoned, breaded with cornstarch, and fried until super crunchy before getting tucked into toasted rolls. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times) Credit: DAVID MALOSH/NYT

Jiao yan xia, the classic Chinese dish of head-on, fried prawns finished with a Sichuan or white pepper salt seasoning, inspired these prawn rolls — themselves a celebration of salt and pepper. Peeled prawns are seasoned, breaded with cornstarch and fried until super crunchy before getting tucked into toasted rolls. Fresh coriander, sliced chillis and a squeeze of fresh lime brighten the hearty sandwich, which leaves you with a little reward: leftover pepper-salt. Store any extra in an airtight container, and use it to season roasted meats and vegetables.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 ½ cups)

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½ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 hot dog buns, preferably top-split

450g peeled and deveined jumbo prawns (16 to 20 prawns), tails removed

¼ cup full cream milk

1 cup cornstarch

2 jalapeno or red cayenne chillis, thinly sliced

Tender coriander sprigs, for garnish

Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

Step 1 In a 12-inch (30cm) cast-iron or heavy frying pan, heat 2.5cm of oil over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 175C.

Step 2 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic; mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine pepper and salt.

Step 3 Heat a medium nonstick frying pan over medium. Using 1 teaspoon of garlic mayonnaise per bun, spread on outer sides of buns, then toast them until golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plates.

Step 4 Season prawns with about 1 teaspoon of the pepper-salt, dip in milk, then dredge in cornstarch, gently pressing so cornstarch adheres. Working in two batches, fry prawns until crispy and cooked through, turning halfway, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with more of the pepper-salt mixture.

Step 5 Smear some garlic mayonnaise on the inner centre of buns, then divide prawns among buns. Top with chillis, coriander and more pepper salt. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4

Total time: 15 minutes

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2021 The New York Times Company

Originally published on The New York Times

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