Recipe: Grilled Prawns with Apple and Fennel Dressing

Ingredients

750g green tiger prawns

3 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Dressing

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons apple juice

50g fennel, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

a few fresh chives

Directions

1. Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tail shells on. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat and dry-fry the fennel seeds for 1–2 minutes, then grind coarsely in a spice mill or with a pestle and mortar. Whisk together with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the other ingredients for the dressing, adding more lemon juice to taste.
3. Heat the griller to medium-high. Toss the prawns in the oil and season to taste, then grill for 2 minutes on each side, or until pink and opaque.
4. Divide the prawns between serving plates, pour over the dressing, garnish with chives and serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations: you could barbecue the prawns on skewers instead of grilling them, if you like, or cook them on a ridged, iron grill pan. You could also chop the fennel into chunks instead of finely slicing it, and cut up the feathery tops to use as a garnish instead of the chives.

Serving suggestion: boiled rice or steamed potatoes.