Grilled prawn tacos with chiltomate sauce

Chiltomate is a salsa made with ember-roasted tomatoes and onions and electrified with habanero chillies. Here it’s served with grilled prawns, warm tortillas and toppings of choice, including some sour cream to cool off the smoky heat from the salsa. If tacos were music, this would be truly symphonic.

Grilled prawn tacos with chiltomate sauce. Credit: Project Fire

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 hours

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Chiltomate (grilled tomato habanero salsa)

• 1 medium onion (skin on)
• 2 luscious ripe red tomatoes
• 1-3 habanero chiles
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1½ tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1½ tbsp fresh lime juice
• Coarse salt (sea or kosher)

Prawns

• 900 g (2 lb) headless prawns (shrimp), preferably wild-caught, tails on or off
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sour orange or fresh lime, for squeezing, or ¼ cup each freshly squeezed
• orange juice and lime juice

Coriander butter

• 57 g salted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), plus extra sprigs for serving
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced (optional)

To serve

• 8 fresh corn tortillas
• Shredded green or purple cabbage, or both
• 1 cup sour cream
• Lime wedges
• Grilled avocado halves (optional)

Marinating time: 20 minutes.

You’ll also need: A grill basket, or metal or bamboo skewers.

Instructions

1. Set up your charcoal grill for caveman grilling (grilling in the embers). Remove the grill grate. Lay the onion, tomatoes, and habanero chilles directly on the coals and cook until charred on all sides, turning with tongs. Transfer to a foil pan and let cool.
2. Alternatively, if using a gas grill, preheat it to screaming hot. Grill the vegetables to char the skins.
3. Scrape off the burnt skins with a paring knife. You don’t need to get off every last bit – a few specks of black will add flavor. For a milder (but still ferocious salsa), seed the chiles. Cut the vegetables into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces. Finely chop or coarsely puree in a food processor. Work in the coriander (cilantro), orange and lime juices, and salt, running the machine in short bursts. Correct the seasoning, adding more juice or salt to taste: the salsa should scream with flavour.
4. Place the prawns in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the orange and lime juices and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
5. Make the cilantro butter: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the coriander (cilantro) and garlic and cook until sizzling, but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside, but keep warm.
6. Place the sour cream, shredded cabbage, avocados, if using, and lime wedges in attractive bowls.
7. If using a charcoal grill, replace the grill grate. If using a grill basket, preheat it on the grill grate and coat it with oil. Otherwise, thread the shrimp on prawns for easier turning, then brush and oil the grill grate.
8. Grill the prawns until browned and cooked though, 2 minutes per side, basting with the coriander butter. Tip or unskewer onto a platter. Briefly warm the tortillas on the grill and place in a cloth-lined basket.
9. To serve, have each eater place a few prawns on a tortilla. Top with cabbage, sour cream and the chiltomate or other salsa. Serve with lime wedges and grilled avocados, if using.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.