Your Favourite Prawn Starter recipe Please

[sodowninthemouth]

I am doing casual dinner Party tmrw night - Lamb main, Pavlova dessert - looking for a starter and was thinking of Prawn - like spicy - not cocktail- not fried-and ideally can be prepared in advance - thanks for your ideas!

I like prawns smeared in pesto and grilled. Really easy and quick.

You can make it different and spicy by making an asian style pesto (whizz up lemongrass, coriander-particuarly the root and stem, ginger, lime zest, basil, red chili, fish sauce, lime juice, a splash of sesame oil). Serve over thin rice noodles with lots of fresh herbs mixed in (coriander, basil and mint) and tossed with a bit of the pesto.

You can't really go wrong with hot prawns and hot garlic butter to dip, I say (although make sure you have plenty of finger bowls and serviettes!).

If you want to pre-cook the prawns and use a cold dip I know a lovely and simple Scandinavian-inspired recipe:
Half soured cream and half light creme fraiche, very finely diced red onion, finely chopped fresh dill, salt & pepper.
You can use this to dress cooked peeled prawns and serve in a glass as an alternative to prawn cocktail, too. Serve with a big wedge of lemon. Much fresher and lighter than traditional prawn cocktail.

That dressing / dip is lovely with smoked salmon, too