Each week Julia Bryce uncovers previously popular dishes in our Throwback Thursday series and offers both a classic recipe and a modern twist.
When it comes to starters, the prawn cocktail is something of an icon.
Gaining popularity in the 60s, it wasn’t until the 80s when this dish was at the top of its game, taking pride and place across dinner party tables throughout the UK.
And while this classic may not be as popular as it once was, it still graces the menus of hundreds of restaurants across the globe, and is one of the most common Christmas Day starters, too.
Usually served in a tall glass – be that a wine or cocktail glass nowadays – its Marie Rose sauce features a mix of simplistic ingredients which have been reinvented and reworked time and time again to bring the dish into the modern era.
Served on a bed of lettuce leaves, succulent prawns are lathered in the rich, creamy sauce, creating the much-loved crowd pleaser.
From the classic recipe made with mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, ketchup and lemon, to those mixing in Thai spices, hot sauces and even Dijon mustard, the prawn cocktail’s demand continues to stay relevant 40 years later.
Just like the sauce, chefs have given its lettuce bedding a new face lift, adding in chopped spring onions, avocado, olives and more to add more flavour and texture to the dish.
Below, we share a classic prawn cocktail recipe, married with some more unusual twists, too.
Classic Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 150g cooked, peeled coldwater prawns
- ½ iceberg lettuce, sliced
- ½ lemon, cut into 3 wedges
- Cayenne pepper or paprika, for dusting
For the Marie Rose sauce
- 130g mayonnaise
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato ketchup (preferably Heinz)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Splash of Tabasco sauce
- Salt and pepper, to season
Method:
- Make the Marie Rose sauce by combining the mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco in a bow. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and place in the fridge.
- Take individual leaves from the lettuce and divide them between two small glass bowls.
- Place the prawns into a separate bowl and add half of the Marie Rose sauce and stir well. Squeeze one of the lime wedges into the sauce, too.
- Pour the prawn mixture into the centre of the glass bowl on top of the lettuce leaves.
- Add the rest of the sauce on top, ensuring it covers all of the prawns.
- Sprinkle with some Cayenne pepper or paprika and serve with a lemon wedge.
Recipes with a twist
Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 150g cooked, peeled coldwater prawns
- 75g King prawns, peeled and cooked
- 1 little gem lettuce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon wedge, to garnish
- Celery stick, to garnish – optional
For the sauce
- 100g passata
- 130g mayonnaise
- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 5-10 drops Tabasco sauce (the more you put in the more heat it will have)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method:
- Make the Marie Rose sauce by combining the mayonnaise, passata, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco in a bow. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the coldwater prawns into the sauce. Cover and place in the fridge.
- Rub some lemon juice around the rim of the glass you will serve the dish in. Carefully place the lettuce leaves into the glass and scoop in the prawns into the centre, building it up. Spoon over any remaining sauce in the bowl.
- Place a handful of the cooked King prawns on top and around the side of the glass.
- Complete with a wedge of lemon, a celery stick (optional) and a sprinkling of black pepper.
Prawn Cocktail With A Sunshine Twist – Fish is the Dish by Seafish
Ingredients:
- 175g cooked and shelled prawns
- 1/4 fresh pineapple, skin removed and diced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 baby gem lettuce, shredded and a few leaves left whole
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Parsley sprigs, to garnish
For the dressing:
- 8tbsp light mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2tsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
Method:
- Mix the prawns, pineapple and spring onions together and squeeze over half the lemon juice.
- Make the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, garlic, paprika, mustard and remaining lemon juice together.
- Divide the shredded lettuce between 4 cocktail glasses. Top with the prawn mixture then the dressing. Garnish with the whole lettuce leaves and parsley sprigs.