We South Africans just don’t get it.
You guys in the USA, New Zealand and other places simply cook up the shrimp (we call them prawns) and hope for the best.
Why spoil such a great meal that way? They taste – well – damn awful. Unlike you guys, we cannot convince ourselves that this is food fit for for a king.
So, welcome to Taste Central.
Here’s how we do it in spectacular Mozambique – the Portuguese way.
What you need:
About 2 kilos (4 pounds) of nice big prawns.
Half a liter (one pint) of virgin olive oil
A generous scoop of butter
A liter of beer, preferably 2M or Laurentina (Mozambican beer)
4 large lemons
1 teaspoon paprika
Lots of fresh garlic
Peri-peri (or fresh chilli)
a large metal frying pan
A hot fire
Preparation
Cut the prawns open from the back to the belly with a pair of small, sharp scissors
Remove the thin, dark vein that runs from the head to the tail
Open the prawns like a butterflied fillet and grill them flesh side down
Make a marinade with the beer, garlic, paprika, peri-peri and lemon juice
Pour it over the cleaned prawns and leave in a cool place for 2 hours
Heat up the large pan over the fire
Pour in enough olive oil to cover the base about 2 mm deep and add the butter
Lay the prawns one by one open side down into the olive oil
Fry for 3 minutes
Remove and add some deep-fried potato wedges
Generously squeeze fresh lemon over the prawns
Season with salt and ground black pepper.
Dish up with rice or pão (Mozambican bread) and stand to the side to avoid the stampede
