The prawn cocktail is the starter everyone loves to mock and then quietly orders. This version, from Good Food magazine, keeps the classic Marie Rose spirit but gives it a proper makeover: a sharper sauce with brandy, Worcestershire sauce, and a little heat, a crunchy celery and cucumber base instead of a limp lettuce bed, and an optional crown of crisp-fried prawns. It’s an easy way to make a Christmas starter feel special, and most of it can be made ahead.
The sauce does the heavy lifting. Ketchup and mayonnaise give the familiar base, while brandy, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and sriracha add acidity, depth and heat. Soaking the lettuce in iced water keeps it crisp, and the finely diced celery and cucumber add crunch without straying from the original idea. The deep-fried prawn tails and heads on top add a hot, crisp contrast to the cold, creamy cocktail. It looks impressive, but nothing about it is difficult.
Ingredients
- 2 Little Gem lettuces
- 1 celery stick, finely diced
- 1/3 small cucumber, deseeded and finely diced
- 300g cooked and peeled North Atlantic prawns, drained well
- 1 small bunch of chives: 8 left long, the rest finely chopped
For the sauce
- 150g mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp brandy (optional)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tsp sriracha, or a few shakes of Tabasco
- 1/2 lemon, juiced, plus extra wedges to serve (optional)
For the crispy prawns (optional)
- 8 large raw shell-on prawns, heads left attached
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep-frying
Method in brief
- Make the sauce. Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, brandy, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha and a tablespoon of the lemon juice. Season generously with black pepper, then taste and add more lemon or hot sauce if needed. It keeps in the fridge for a day.
- Prep the salad. Separate the lettuce leaves, soak them in iced water for 5 minutes, then drain and dry them well. Set aside the eight best whole leaves. Finely shred the rest and mix with the diced celery and cucumber.
- Dress the prawns. Fold the small cooked prawns into the sauce until coated.
- Assemble. Tuck two whole lettuce leaves into each of four glasses or small bowls. Divide the salad mix between them, spoon the dressed prawns on top and scatter over the chopped chives. You can make this up to the night before and keep it chilled.
- Prepare the large prawns (optional). Twist the heads off, then peel the shells and legs from the bodies, leaving the tails on. Slice along the back and remove the dark vein. Trim the sharp spines from the heads with kitchen scissors and peel away the hard upper shell, keeping the rest of the head intact. Keep everything chilled for up to a day.
- Fry them (optional). Mix the cornflour and paprika with a good pinch of salt and toss the tails and heads in it. Heat the oil to 180°C in a pan, no more than a third full. Fry in small batches for 2-3 minutes until crisp and deep golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Top each cocktail with two tails, two heads and two long chives, and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe by Barney Desmazery, photograph by Andrew Burton, from Good Food magazine. All credit to the original creators.
