Prawn cocktail

This old-school prawn cocktail will make a great starter for your Christmas lunch. It is fresh and light - just perfect for a hot summer’s day.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• ½ a clove of garlic
• cayenne pepper
• 8 unpeeled, large, raw tiger prawns
• ¼ of an iceberg lettuce
• ¼ of a cucumber
• 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 sprig of fresh mint
• 50 g peeled little prawns
• 100 g canned shredded crabmeat
• 1 lemon

• ½ a lemon
• 1 swig of brandy
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 heaped teaspoon tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan over high heat. Crush and add the garlic, then stir in 1 pinch of cayenne pepper and the tiger prawns (you can butterfly them first if you like).
2. Toss the prawns for 3 to 4 minutes, or till cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. For the Marie Rose sauce, combine the lemon juice with the remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
4. Shred the lettuce, dice the cucumber, thinly slice the tomato and pick the mint leaves, then layer in bowls or jars.
5. Add the peeled prawns, dollop with Marie Rose sauce and finish with crabmeat. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and hang a hot prawn or two off the side of the bowl or jar. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the cocktail.