Leader prawns on sugarcane skewers

Known for their extra-large size, leader prawns are also called giant tiger prawns. Here, they're threaded onto sugarcane skewers both to impart flavour, and ensure that they cook evenly.

Credit: Taste of the Tropics

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg green Leader prawns, peeled, deveined, heads and tails in tact
• 16 sugar cane skewers, approximately

Yakitori sauce

• 250 ml (1 cup) soy sauce
• 250 ml (1 cup) mirin
• 125 ml (½ cup) sake
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cm piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Instructions

1. To prepare the yakitori sauce, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half. The sauce should be thick and glossy. Strain the sauce through a sieve and cool to room temperature before using.
   
2. Preheat a barbecue grill.
   
3. Thread the prawns onto the sugarcane skewers, starting from underneath the heads and working your way through to the tail.
   
4. Cook the prawns, turning and brushing and glazing with the teriyaki sauce regularly, for 6 -7 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve immediately.

This recipe and image is from Taste of the Tropics - Iconic Far North Queensland.

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.