LARGE GULF PRAWNS WITH LIMONCELLO & FENNEL FRONDS

June 11th, 2009

Sauteing prawns in olive oil until just cooked through and then de-glazing the pan with limoncello is not only incredibly delicious but very Italian. I like to buy the medium to large prawns for this dish. Be sure you know where your seafood is coming from as much shrimp today is treated with chemicals. You want to be sure you are buying sustainably caught prawns from clean waters. See CleanFish for sources. I like to buy my seafood from Sun Phat Seafood Company in San Francisco.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

-2 pounds best quality medium to large prawns (roughly 3 per person)

-Limoncello (house-made or bought from an Italian deli)

-Olive oil

-Salt

-1 fennel bulb with fronds

Many prawns have a vein on the top side that needs to be removed. Take a sharp paring knife and–starting at the top–run the blade down the back of the prawn to make a slit. Using the tip of the knife remove the black vein and discard.

Rinse your prawns and pat dry with a clean towel. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Flip and continue cooking. Once flipped the side facing you should be a nice red color. Season with a bit of salt. Once cooked through lower the heat and de-glaze the pan with approximately 1/2 cup of limoncello. Allow the alcohol to burn off (1 minute). Sprinkle with fennel fronds and take off the heat.

Serve simply on a plate with a bit of the lemoncello sauce or serve over grilled bread with a bit of garlic and olive oil.

Buon apetito!

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