Chef's Recipes

Prawn rolls

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for prawn rolls by Rockwell & Sons, Melbourne.

By Casey Wall
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 30 mins cooking plus pickling, brining, cooling
  • Serves 6 - 8
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Prawn rolls
"Prawn rolls are found at every tourist trap in Maine - every roll is different," says Wall. "We substituted the celery salt some shacks use with pickled celery to offer brightness to a rich roll. Potato chips offer a textural contrast and are the king of American sandwich garnishes. These homemade potato chips are infinitely better than shop-bought brands - maybe some of the guilt of eating potato chips can be offset by knowing you made them yourself." Begin this recipe a day ahead to pickle the celery.

Ingredients

  • 50 gm salt
  • 500 gm peeled and cleaned raw prawns
  • 8 small brioche buns, split
Pickled celery
  • 500 ml (2 cups) white vinegar
  • 110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 tbsp each yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns and dried chilli flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat of a knife
  • 4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced diagonally
Kewpie tartare sauce
  • 150 gm Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 4 cornichons, very finely diced
  • 2 tsp capers in brine, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp finely diced Spanish onion
  • 1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
Potato chips
  • 6 russet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 tbsp sea salt flakes
  • For deep-frying: vegetable oil
  • To taste: celery salt

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pickled celery, place ingredients, except celery, and 500ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to the boil, then remove from heat and stand for 15 minutes to infuse. Bring back to the boil, then strain liquid over celery in a non-reactive container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Pickled celery keeps for a week.
  • 2
    Stir salt and 500ml cold water in a non-reactive container until salt dissolves, add prawns and stand to brine (12 minutes). Drain and place in a large steamer basket over a large saucepan of gently simmering water, cover and steam until cooked (10-12 minutes). Refrigerate to cool completely, then chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
  • 3
    Meanwhile, for Kewpie tartare sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
  • 4
    For potato chips, dissolve salt in 1.5 litres cold water in a large bowl, slice potatoes paper-thin on a mandolin, add to bowl and stand for 20 minutes, then drain well and spread on trays lined with paper towel to dry (20 minutes). Preheat oil to 150C in a large saucepan, add chips in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until oil stops bubbling and chips turn very light golden around the edges (6-8 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and season generously with celery salt or salt. Set aside.
  • 5
    To serve, combine prawns and Kewpie tartare sauce to taste in a bowl. Toast brioche rolls under a hot grill, fill each with prawn mixture and top with a little drained pickled celery. Serve with potato chips.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: La Sirène Wild Saison ale. Drink suggestion by Manu Potoi