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Prawn, cucumber and mint soup

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for prawn, cucumber and mint soup

By Adelaide Lucas
  • Serves 10
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Prawn, cucumber and mint soup

Ingredients

  • 24 medium green prawns (about 500gm)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 golden shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 mint stalks, coarsely chopped
  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled and coarsely grated
  • 125 ml white wine (½ cup)
  • ½ cup mint leaves (loosely packed)
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • To serve: mint leaf tips

Method

Main
  • 1
    Peel prawns and remove veins, leaving 12 prawns with tails intact, reserve shells. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan, add half the shallot and half the garlic and sauté for 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved shells and mint stalks and cook for 5 minutes or until coloured. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes, strain and discard solids. Return stock to a clean saucepan, bring to the boil, add prawns and cook for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Remove prawns, cool and refrigerate until needed.
  • 2
    Heat remaining oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add remaining shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until softened. Add cucumber and sauté for 3 minutes, then add white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add stock, remove from heat and cool. Process stock mixture, prawns without tails, mint leaves and lemon rind in a blender until smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
  • 3
    To serve, skewer remaining chilled prawns on toothpicks. Ladle chilled soup into small cups or glasses, scatter with mint tips and serve with a skewered prawn.