Prawn and potato salad with hazelnuts (Salade de crevettes et pommes de terre aux noisettes)

This typical Atlantic prawn salad that includes the regional vegetables is perfect for a summer lunch or dinner party entrée.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 12 medium prawns, steamed, peeled and deveined
• 8 new baby potatoes, boiled in their skin
• ½ cup just-cooked cauliflower florets, cut into small pieces
• 1½ cups finely diced seeded cucumber
• 2 tbsp walnut halves, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp tarragon leaves, cut into small pieces
• flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, delicately chopped 
• 12 peeled, roasted hazelnuts, crushed into a few pieces
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Dressing

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp curry powder
• juice of ½ lemon
• 50 ml lemon olive oil 
• Tabasco sauce, to taste 

Instructions

Keep 4 nice-looking prawns aside for garnishing and cut the remaining prawns each into 3 pieces.

Keep 2 baby potatoes aside for garnishing and cube the remaining potatoes.

For the dressing, place the mustard, curry powder, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Using a stick blender, whiz together until well combined. Season with a few drops of Tabasco sauce, just enough to feel a little heat.

Place the cauliflower, cucumber, potato cubes, chopped prawns, walnuts and tarragon in a bowl. Gently combine with two-thirds of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a 10 cm PVC or stainless steel ring in the centre of each plate, then spoon a few tablespoons of the vegetable and prawn salad into the rings. Gently flatten the tops, then sprinkle with chopped egg, a few hazelnut pieces and most of the chives. Top each with a reserved prawn and a baby potato half. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and sprinkle with the remaining chives.

Note

• I like to use 10 cm PVC rings to attractively mould this superb coastal salad. You could also serve it in an elegant glass.

Taste le Tour with Gabriel Gaté starts Saturday 7 July 2018 on SBS and then on SBS On Demand and finishes 29 July 2018. Visit the Taste le Tour website to catch-up on episodes, cook up his recipes or find out more about the series.

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.