Tandoori prawn pockets with tomato salsa
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Tandoori prawn pockets with tomato salsa
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Anjum Anand
Anjum is a British-Indian cook with a passion for healthy food and incredible Indian flavours. She has written eight colourful cookery books showcasing authentic and vibrant Indian dishes
Anjum Anand
Anjum is a British-Indian cook with a passion for healthy food and incredible Indian flavours. She has written eight colourful cookery books showcasing authentic and vibrant Indian dishes
Ingredients
- 350g peeled raw king prawns
- lime halves, to garnish
- 6 mini garlic and coriander naans
- 1-2 Little Gem lettuces, or other crunchy lettuce, leaves separated
- 6 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
For the marinade:
- 6 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 10g root ginger, peeled weight, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp gram or plain flour
- 1 heaped tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp hot or mild chilli powder
- 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, to taste
For the tomato salsa:
- 2 tsp vegetable or olive oil
- ¾ tsp nigella seeds, or black onion seeds (optional but delicious)
- 2 large vine tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
- a large handful of chopped coriander
Step by step
Make the tomato salsa the day before; chill, but serve at room temperature. Make the marinade a day ahead; chill, and add the prawns 45 minutes before cooking.
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Light the barbecue. In a food processor blend together the marinade ingredients with a generous teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and the lemon juice, to taste – how much you use will depend on how tart the yogurt is – until smooth. Season really well as the prawns will absorb some of the salt. Tip the prawns into the marinade, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, soak about 15 wooden skewers in a bowl of water.
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To make the salsa, heat the oil in a medium pan and add the nigella seeds, if using. Cook for 30 seconds then add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the coriander. Season and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped coriander.
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Skewer your prawns, about 3-4 per skewer. Barbecue for around 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked and lightly charred. Barbecue the lime halves, too. Warm the naans on the barbecue for a minute on each side.
TipThis is a great combination of summery flavours; the prawns are delicious and flavourful as they are but, paired with the tomato salsa and some crème fraîche, they make for delightful, moreish hand-held pockets that are perfect for a late-summer barbecue.
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Split each naan to make a pocket and fill with lettuce, prawns, tomato salsa and crème fraîche. Serve immediately with lime halves to squeeze over.
