Salt-Bed Prawns with Lemon-Chive Butter
Whole shell-on prawns, gently pan-cooked over coarse salt, with a bright little dipping butter.
Method
1. Prepare the clean finish
Wash hands. Rinse the lemon and chives under running water and dry. Finely zest 1 tsp from the lemon, squeeze 2 tsp juice, and cut the remaining lemon into wedges. Snip 1 tbsp chives. Put the butter in a small saucepan; keep the zest, juice, chives, clean dipping bowl and serving platter away from raw-prawn tools.
2. Set up the cold pans
Keep prawns refrigerated until needed. Pat dry with paper towels; retain heads and shells. Use fishmonger-cleaned/deveined prawns or make a shallow slit along the shell back and lift out any dark vein; do not peel. Divide the salt between two cold, dry 12-inch stainless pans and spread a level ¼-inch (6 mm) bed over each base. Lay half the prawns on their sides in each pan in one uncrowded layer, not piled. Wash hands and clean/sanitize raw-contact surfaces before touching the finish. Reserve separate clean tongs for cooked prawns.
3. Cook gently; melt the butter alongside
Set both pans over medium heat together; do not preheat the salt or add water or oil. From cold, allow an estimated 5–7 minutes on the first side, then turn each prawn with the raw-contact tongs and cook about 3–5 minutes more. Shells turn coral and tail flesh becomes pearly and opaque, but color and time are only cues. Meanwhile melt the butter over low heat for 2–3 minutes; remove from heat and stir in all the measured zest, juice and chives with a clean spoon. Transfer to the clean dipping bowl.
4. Check the thick tails
Before removing prawns from heat, use a fine-tip thermometer to check several of the largest tails in each pan: insert sideways between shell plates into the thick tail flesh, with the sensing tip surrounded by flesh, not against the shell, hot salt or pan. All checked tails must reach 145°F (63°C); continue cooking and recheck if below. Clean the probe after raw or under-temperature checks. The estimated 8–12 minutes includes heating from cold and may need extending for your stove or prawn size. [3]
5. Shake off and serve
With clean cooked-food tongs, lift prawns to the clean platter, gently shaking or brushing away loose salt. Serve immediately with the small bowl of lemon-chive butter and all the lemon wedges; peel at the table and dip the tail meat. No extra salt is needed. Keep hot pans on heatproof surfaces; let pans and salt cool fully before discarding the used salt. Do not reuse it for cooking or seasoning; a salt bed and intact shells do not preserve seafood.