Is it okay to eat Tiger Prawns?


I quite like eating tiger prawns.

Prawns

However after reading this (slightly old) article in the Guardian, now I am not so sure…

The article starts on a positive note…

Something happened to prawns in the 1990s. Like the girths of western gourmands discovering fusion food, they started to grow and grow. Once a mere shrimp of a thing, a fiddly heap of shell for every tiny mouthful, the prawn miraculously turned into a great tiger, an effortless bite as good as lobster but at half the price.

Evidence of this startling evolution is everywhere. Prawns feature prominently on bar menus and in top restaurants. Thai spiced prawns have even infiltrated Delia’s Summer Collection cookbook. Healthy and fashionably south-east Asian, but not too exotic or rare any more, they have flown into our lives from apparently teeming tropical seas where everything grows bigger and better.

But then issues the following warning!

The price of providing an everyday luxury for consumers in industrialised countries has been a catalogue of damaging consequences in developing nations. Serious environmental degradation, disease, pollution, debt and dispossession, illegal land seizures, abuse of child labour and violence have afflicted the dozen or so countries entering the market. Western diners, meanwhile, are eating a food dependent on the heavy use of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Hmmm, may now need to reconsider what prawns I buy and eat – difficult to do when eating out!

Cajun Prawns

I made this dish as part of a tapas selection. The key is to make the sauce and add the prawns at the last minute.

In a frying pan, soften some onions, after they have softened add some Cajun spices. I don’t like adding the spices too early as they can burn.

Add some chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree.

Cook for a while.

Add raw prawns and let them cook.

When they are firm and pink they are cooked, be careful not to overcook them, as this will make them rubbery.

Cajun Prawns

Done.

Apricot Delight

Apricots

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in today’s Guardian writes about the golden wonder that is the apricot.

A juicy, ripe apricot, eaten straight from the tree, is one of the sweetest treats summer has to offer. But this brilliant fruit pays dividends in other ways, too …

I was only thinking yesterday that I usually only taste apricots either in a yoghurt or fromage frais or in apricot jam.

Think I might need to look at this fruit again.

Photo source.

Gala Pie

How on earth did pork pie with egg come about?

Did a baker one day, go oops…. dropped an egg into that pork pie mix, ah well maybe no one will notice…

Special request perhaps?

Are there other variations which didn’t work, and as a result never saw the light of day…

Ah pork pie with strawberry yoghurt, hmmm nope that doesn’t work for me.

And why is it called a Gala Pie?

Artichokes

 In the Guardian, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall writes about how much he enjoys the artichoke.

Raw, boiled, grilled, baked or stuffed, the globe artichoke is one of summer’s most welcome treats. Who’d have thought a thistle could taste so good?

Personally I really like artichokes, I think my preference is for the chargrilled ones that are then marinaded in olive oil, herbs and spices.

I do also like fresh, but preference is for the Italian style anti-pasto type ones you can buy.

Grilled langoustine with herbs and olive oil

I am a great fan of Langoustine.

When they are just right there is something about the freshness and sweetness that makes them delicious.

It can be hard to find fresh ones, usually they are available either frozen or defrosted. In terms of taste, fresh is always best.

Grilled langoustine with herbs and olive oil

I like mine simple with a bit of mayonaise or aioli, but they are also nice split and grilled with herbs and olive oil as in the above picture.

Lobster

I do like lobster, but I don’t think it is as good as I think it should be.

Lobster

Now I freely admit that this may be down to the lobster I have had recently. If I had had proper fresh lobster, cooked and then served, I am sure I might think differently. Alas it can be difficult to find round here. One day…

Jamie Oliver to go back to school dinners

BBC reports on an interview with Jamie Oliver.

Jamie Oliver says he plans to revisit his school dinners campaign because he is not satisfied with the government’s action on the issue.

The celebrity chef challenged the junk food culture and pressed for healthier school meals during his campaign.

Makes for interesting reading.

One think about healthier school dinners is that it is not just about changing the food, it’s also about educating the children and importantly the parents too.

Merguez sausages

One of my favourite sausages is the merguez sausage.

This is a North African spicy lamb and beef sausage that is really nice and meaty with a hot and spicy taste.

Merguez sausages

Merguez is made with lamb or beef, and flavoured with a wide range of spices, such as sumac for tartness, and paprika, cayenne, or harissa, a hot chilli paste that gives it a red colour.

I have had Merguez sausages in Cafe Rouge and have had trouble finding them for sale in my local suppliers.

However was pleased to find them in Taste.

Just grilled they were delicious.


Goat’s Cheese and Bury Black Pudding

Went out for dinner tonight, a spur of the moment kind of thing at a local pub.

For starters I went for what sounded like an interesting dish.

Goat’s Cheese and Bury Black Pudding

It consisted of slices of Bury black pudding topped with goat’s cheese and cranberry sauce.

Overall it was interesting but not really anything special. It lacked flavour and there was way too much salad on the plate.