Coctel de camarones

Mexican prawn cocktail, also known as Coctel de Camarones, is a refreshing and delicious appetiser that is popular in Mexico. You can add other seafood such as oysters, clams, and cooked octopus.

Coctel de camarones. Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

• 750 g raw medium prawns
• 1 white onion, halved
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small thyme branch
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 15 g roughly chopped fresh coriander
• 8 large Salada crackers, split in half

For the sauce

• 245 ml tomato juice
• 120 ml tomato sauce
• 120 ml orange juice
• ¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice
• 110 ml prawn cooking broth
• 2 ½ tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp of hot sauce (such as Tabasco), or a teaspoon of habanero
• Salt and black pepper

Chilling/freezing time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 ½ litres water. Roughly chop half the onion (reserve the rest for later!), then transfer to the water with the garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to the boil, then add the prawns and cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Allow to cool, then peel (reserve the shells!) and devein the prawns, then return the prawn shells to the cooking liquid and cook for a further 10 minutes to make a light prawn stock, for the sauce. Strain and allow to cool, before using.

3. To make the sauce for the prawn cocktail, in a large bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Finely chop the reserved white onion. To serve, fill 4 serving glasses (or bowls) with layered prawn, finely chopped onion, tomato and coriander (reserve a little to garnish), then pour over the sauce, without completely covering the prawn cocktails.

5. Garnish with the avocado and remaining coriander and serve with the Salada crackers for scooping.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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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.

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