Basil and Kadaifi-wrapped King Prawns with Pine Nut Tarator

Serves 4

Kadaifi is basically a shredded filo pastry. It is one of the most popular pastries eaten in Turkey, Syria and Jordan, and is more commonly used in sweet preparations. This is a personal favourite of mine. It’s a showstopper dish – impressive and contemporary, yet so simple to make. You can use the same recipe for wrapping a variety of vegetables too; peppers, aubergines and asparagus are particularly well suited to this. Kadaifi pastry dries very fast, so work quickly and cover it with a damp cloth when you’re not using it.

Silvena Rowe

For the prawns

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ tablespoon Tabasco sauce

12 large king prawns, shelled and heads removed

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the tarator

1 slice of bread, crusts removed

200g pine nuts

2 small garlic cloves, crushed

50g pack of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

5 tablespoons olive oil

200g kadaifi pastry

24 large basil leaves

2 hours in advance

Combine the lemon juice, garlic, coriander and Tabasco sauce in a bowl, add the prawns and coat well, then cover and leave to marinate for 2 hours.

To make the tarator

Soak the bread in a bowl of water then squeeze out the excess. Place the bread in a food processor with the pine nuts, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Process to a smooth purée, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season and refrigerate until needed.

To cook the prawns

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190oC. Cut the kadaifi pastry into 12 strips, each about 10cm wide. Lay out a strip of pastry and arrange 2 basil leaves on top. Place a marinated king prawn on one end and roll the pastry around it. Repeat with the rest of the pastry, basil and prawns. Place the wrapped prawns in the deep fryer and cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to kitchen paper to drain. Rest for 1 minute, then serve with the pine nut tarator.