Sautéed
Fresh Water Prawns* with English Peas and Fresh Morel
Fricassee, and Madras Curry Sauce
By Xavier Deshayes - Ronald
Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington,
DC
Serves 6 (as an appetizer)
Ingredients for the curry
oil:
1 C olive oil
2 t Madras curry
Procedures:
Pour olive oil into a bottle with curry. Place bottle
in a double boiler and leave for 15 minutes in boiling
water. Leave bottle in double boiler while it gradually
cools off. Prepare curry oil the day before intended use..
Ingredients
for the prawns:
12 prawns, cleaned, de-veined,
shells removed (save shells)
Procedure:
One hour before serving, place prawns in a mixing bowl
with the curry oil. Let them marinate until cooking time.
Ingredients
for the Madras curry sauce:
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/4 C celery branch, chopped
1/4 C leek, chopped
1/4 C carrot, chopped
1 t Madras curry
1 t tomato paste
1/2 C cognac (brandy acceptable)
2 C chicken stock
1 C half & half
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Procedures:
In a medium-size pot, heat olive oil and butter. When
hot, add all chopped vegetables. Sauté vegetables
at medium heat until soft. Add prawn shells and curry,
mix well and let cook until shells become pink. Add tomato
paste, mix well and let cook for 3 minutes. Pour in cognac
and let cook until reduced to a dry stage. Add chicken
stock and half & half, and bring to a boil.
Reduce
heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain
the liquids, bring the sauce back to a quick boil, then
reduce heat while adjusting the seasoning. Finish with
2 teaspoons of soft butter. Preserve sauce in a warm place.
Ingredients
for the peas and morels fricassee:
12 oz. morel mushrooms
1 lb. English peas, removed from pods, cleaned
6 oz. diced, cooked onions
1/4 C mushroom or vegetable stock
10 oz. tomato, diced
1 t parsley, chopped
1 t chives, chopped
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Procedure:
Quickly blanch peas in boiling water and quickly cool
them down in an ice cold water bath. Strain peas and put
aside.
In
a hot and oily sauté pan, sear mushrooms and let
them release all the liquid. Strain liquid and, in the
same pan, sear mushrooms with oil and butter. Add salt
and pepper to taste and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes
at medium heat. Add the cooked, diced onion and let cook
for another 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup of the
mushroom stock and keep cooking for 3 minutes. Add English
peas and butter, sauté all ingredients together
and adjust seasoning.
To
Serve:
At the last moment, remove prawns from the curry oil marinade.
Season prawns and cook them in a very hot oily sauté
pan. Cook both sides until golden color, about 2 minutes
on each side.
At
this time, drop the chopped fresh herbs and diced tomato
into the morel mixture.
Place
the morel fricassee in the center of the plate. Dry prawns
on a paper towel to remove extra oil, if necessary. Place
2 golden prawns on top of the fricassee. Spoon the curry
sauce all around the prawns.
*Seafood
Watch: recommends farmed fresh water prawns from
the U.S.
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