Grilled prawns with walnut pesto
Large prawns are briefly marinated with garlic and lemon and then grilled on the barbecue. A coarse pesto made with walnuts, basil and Parmesan gives the dish a rich, aromatic flavour.
Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 15 minutes
Marinating: 15 minutes
Cooking: approximately 10 minutes
Total time: approximately 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the prawns
- 800 g large raw prawns, shell on
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the walnut pesto
- 75 g walnuts
- 40 g fresh basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 50 g Parmesan cheese
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt
For serving
- 1 lemon
Preparation
- Clean the prawns
Cut or snip open the shell along the back of the prawns, but leave the rest of the shell on. Make a shallow cut along the back and remove the intestinal tract. - Marinate the prawns
Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and squeeze the lemon. Mix the prawns with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. - Prepare the walnut pesto
Grate the Parmesan cheese and peel the remaining clove of garlic. Put the walnuts, basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and briefly process to a coarse mixture. With the motor running, gradually add the extra virgin olive oil until a coarse pesto forms. Season with salt. - Prepare for serving
Cut the remaining lemon into wedges. Thread the prawns onto skewers if desired.
Method
- Heat the barbecue
Heat the barbecue to medium-high to high heat and make sure the grill grate is clean and thoroughly hot. - Grill the prawns
Remove the prawns from the marinade and allow any excess marinade to drip off. Grill them for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, until the flesh is opaque and just cooked through. Do not grill them longer than necessary. - Serve the prawns
Arrange the grilled prawns on a platter. Serve the walnut pesto alongside or spoon some of it over the prawns. Serve with the lemon wedges.
