Recipe - Dry Fried Prawns In The Shell

Stephen Ceideburg
1 pound Large prawns in the shell
2 tablespoon Oil
One half teaspoon Salt
3 Quartersized slices fresh
ginger, bruised
3 Garlic cloves, bruised
4 Green onions with tops, cut
into 1inch lengths
1 pn White pepper
1 pn Sugar
2 tablespoon Dry sherry or rice wine
1 teaspoon Soy sauce
1 bn Fresh watercress

The trick to eating these is to pop them into your mouth and then separate
the shells from the meat with your teeth and tongue. If the shells are
crispy enough, eat 'em shells and all. The sauce cooks into the shells
making them very flavorful.

Leave shells and legs on the prawns. Rinse in cold water. Pat completely
dry with paper toweling.

To devein prawns, cut a 1/4inch deep by 1/2inch long incision down the
outside curve of each shell. (Pointed kitchen shears are useful for this
job.) Grasp the black vein and gently pull out and discard.

Preheat a wok or skillet over mediumhigh heat. When hot, add the oil,
salt, ginger and garlic.

Crush the ginger and garlic against the side of the pan with the back of
the spatula to squeeze out their juices (about 30 seconds); remove ginger
and garlic and discard.

When the oil is hot but not smoking, place a single layer of prawns flat in
the pan. Fry without stirring until browned and crusty, about 1 minute.
Turn the prawns and fry without stirring until browned on the second side,
about 1 minute. Remove and keep warm while frying remaining prawns.

When the last batch is done, increase heat to high. Return all the prawns
to the pan, along with the green onions, pepper, sugar, wine and soy sauce.
Quickly toss over high heat until liquid is reduced and a glaze coats the
shrimp, about 30 seconds. Serve on a bed of watercress.

PER SERVING: 115 calories, 13 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (1 g
saturated), 93 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

Joyce Jue writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 10/25/93.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini