King Prawn Skewers with Papaya Nam Jim

Ingredients

Recipe by Nick and Simone Hatherly from Newrybar Fruit Farm, as highlighted in The Farm Community Cookbook by Tom and Emma Lane.

"Newrybar Fruit Farm supplies The Farm Byron Bay with our citrus needs. Owner and farmer Nick Hatherly and his wife, Simone, grow oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins and grapefruit – among other things – on their own little cornucopia, tucked away near the historical village of Newrybar just 13 km (8 miles) south of The Farm. The farm gate has a roadside stall where locals can collect goodies fresh from the farm. Since The Farm opened we have seen Nick almost daily, as he delivers his citrus to Three Blue Ducks. You can recognise his delivery van by its ‘LIMES' number plate." - Tom and Emma Lane.

24 wooden skewers (soak in cold water for 10 minutes beforehand).
24 large green King prawns olive oil, for drizzling
Bunch of coriander (cilantro) (with roots intact), leaves picked, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve

Papaya Nam Jim:

2 garlic cloves
2 coriander roots, finely chopped
1 large green chilli, seeded and chopped
1 large red chilli, seeded and chopped
20mL fish sauce
40mL lime juice
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbs grated palm sugar (jaggery)
1/4 papaya, seeded and finely chopped

Method

Papaya Nam Jim:

This can be prepared a couple of hours in advance.

Crush the garlic and coriander root in a mortar and pestle. Add the chilli and keep pounding. The more you pound, the hotter the nam jim!

Transfer to a large bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice, shallots and palm sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the papaya and toss to combine.

Soak the wooden skewers for about 10 minutes in cold water so they don’t burn on the grill (broiler) or barbeque.

Remove the shells from the bodies of the prawns, leaving the tails intact. De-vein the prawns and thread them onto the skewers lengthways (one prawn per skewer). Sprinkle each of the prawn skewers with sea salt and drizzle with oil.

Grill the skewers on a very hot barbeque char-grill plate or grill (broiler) for 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked.

Serve the skewers on a large plate with fresh lime wedges and coriander leaves. Drizzle over the papaya nam jim or serve it on the side as a dipping sauce.

Credits: This is an edited extract from The Farm Community by Tom and Emma Lane published by Hardie Grant Books $39.99 and is available where all good books are sold.

Photo Credits: © Alan Benson.