Prawns, peas, fennel and serrano ham powder

Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 24 mins

Ingredients

  • Serves four
  • For the prawns :
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 8 baby fennel, halved
  • 250ml white wine
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 16 medium prawns, deshelled
  • 100g peas
  • 50g butter, cut into small cubes
  • micro-greens (to garnish)
  • olive oil
  • For the serrano ham powder :
  • 50g serrano ham, sliced

To make the serrano ham powder: Lay the slices of ham on some baking parchment and dry overnight in a 65 degree Celsius oven. The following morning, remove the ham from the oven and cool. Remove any excess oil with some kitchen paper. Blend in a food processor until a smooth powder forms.

In a large frying pan, warm some oil. When hot enough, add the onions and sweat until translucent. Lay the fennel on the onions. Cook for a minute or two until the fennel begins to colour. Add the white wine, minced garlic and the butter. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fennel softens. Add the prawns. The prawns will cook very quickly. I usually place a suitable lid over the frying pan and allow the steam to cook the prawns. Just before the prawns are ready, add the peas.

To serve: Using a slotted spoon, place the prawns, peas and fennel in the bowl. Sprinkle the dish with the serrano ham powder. If you like, you can garnish with some micro-greens.

JP McMahon

JP McMahon

JP McMahon, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and restaurateur