400g fresh whole calamari
12 whole medium size green prawns
Salad:
Asian herbs – coriander, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint
2 spring onions
1 Lebanese cucumber
100g bean shoots
1 avocado
20g toasted peanuts
20g sesame seeds
Dressing:
30mL lime juice
30mL rice wine vinegar
30mL fish sauce
30g palm sugar
Ginger and chilli oil (prawn & calamari marinade):
5g fresh green chilli
5g peeled garlic
5g fresh peeled ginger
50mL vegetable oil
Start with preparing the salad. Pick Asian herbs into a bowl of cold water. Cut spring onion into 3cm batons and slice lengthways, add to herbs and drain. Spin in salad spinner. Wash bean shoots, pick off end root and set aside.
Dry roast (at 180 C) sesame seeds and peanuts, separately, until golden brown. Chop peanuts and add to sesame seeds.
To make the dressing, first make a dry caramel with palm sugar. Add vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce. When caramel is dissolved, remove from heat. Leave to cool.
Clean and score calamari. Keep tentacles also. Peel and de-vein prawns, leaving tail on. Add to calamari.
Puree chilli, ginger, garlic and oil together until smooth. Pour over prawns and calamari and leave to marinate for a few minutes.
Lay herb mix down on the plate first then, scatter the bean shoots and lay slices of avocado. Sprinkle with peanut and sesame mix and dress.
Pan-fry the prawns and calamari, turning to cook on both sides.
Arrange the calamari and then the prawns on top of the salad and serve.
Recipe provided by Lord Cardigan
