Please help a Prawn novice!!

[pigleychez]

Doing birthday tea for my mum this weekend. Dad suggested a Prawn cocktail as mum likes that but was planning more a buffet as there's a few of us.
Been looking at other prawn based snacky foods and they all say peeled and devained. How and what?? I don't like prawns so never cooked with them before but would like to do something for mum.

Any buffet prawn foods you can suggest? How do you prepare them? Can you buy them already prepared?

Fresh or frozen, all pink prawns are already cooked and all grey ones are raw. Large raw prawns have a 'vein' down the back which is actually more of a 'digestive tract' [don't want to put you off completely] and this is removed by running a sharp knife around and pulling it out.
With small pink ones you don't need to worry about this.
Sesame prawn toast would be a good buffet thing, goes with other chinese-style dishes. It's relatively easy or you can buy ready-made in Sainsbury's.

Go to Iceland and get a prawn ring! Make your own Marie Rose sauce, though, because the stuff that comes with them is execrable... Just mix mayo with a bit of tomato puree, a splash of Lea & Perrin's, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add a teeny knife tip of cayenne if you like it spicy...

Google Lorraine Pascale's prawn and rosemary skewers. Very simple to make, could even do without the salsa if you don't have the time, but great if you do.

If you have the budget, Marks do already marinated and ready to eat prawns, which you can scatter in a salad. Or if you have some small, clear, plastic cups or glasses you can make individual prawn cocktails - it's just shredded lettuce, prawns and Marie Rose sauce (as above). Although I like some cubed avocado in there too.