A colourful twist on a classic starter. Using a mix of cheaper cold water prawns and larger king prawns helps keep costs down whilst still ensuring everyone gets a generous helping of seafood.
It doesn't get much more classic than a prawn cocktail! This one can be assembled up to 3hr ahead making it the perfect Christmas Day starter.
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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Cal/Serv:
261
Ingredients
For the melba toast
4
medium slices sandwich bread, we used seeded
For the prawn cocktail
150g
mayonnaise
100g
tomato ketchup
11/2Tbsp.
horseradish sauce
Finely grated zest 1 lemon and juice 1/2, keep separate
Few dashes Tabasco, to taste
200g
cooked and peeled cold water prawns, defrosted if frozen
200g
iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
330g
pack cooked beetroot (in natural juice)
To serve
150g
cooked and peeled king prawns
Few pinches cayenne pepper or paprika (optional)
Lemon wedges
Directions
Step 1For the melba toast, preheat grill to medium and arrange the bread on a baking sheet. Toast under the grill until golden on both sides. When cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to remove the crusts, then slice each toast horizontally through its centre, creating 2 thin sheets. Next slice each sheet in 1/2 diagonally. Return the triangles to the baking sheet, untoasted side-up, and grill until golden. Set aside to cool.
Step 2For the prawn cocktail, in a medium bowl mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish sauce, lemon zest and Tabasco, to taste. Using kitchen paper, thoroughly pat the prawns dry, then gently stir into the sauce; check seasoning. In a separate bowl toss the shredded lettuce with the lemon juice.
Step 3Drain the beetroot, pat dry with kitchen paper and finely chop. Divide between 8 glasses or small bowls. Spoon over 1/2 the prawn cocktail and top with the lettuce, followed by the remaining prawn cocktail.
Step 4To serve, arrange the king prawns on top and dust with a little cayenne pepper/paprika. Serve with the melba toast and lemon wedges, for squeezing over.
Get Ahead:
Make prawn mixture up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Make melba toast up to 3hr ahead. Set aside at room temperature. Assemble cocktail up to 3hr ahead; chill.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
