Executive Chef Mushfek Shaikh knows his seafood. He and his team serve up a range of shellfish snacks, shareable fish dishes, and marvellous mains at Harbour Oyster + Bar on Commercial Drive. Shaikh first felt the urge to step into the kitchen in 2018, and he started by paying his dues as a dishwasher at Earls. Motivated by his desire for more responsibility and creative expression, with the support of his peers, Shaikh rose to the rank of Sous Chef in just five months. Now in his position as Executive Chef at Harbour, Shaikh creates dishes with the best local ingredients, while being an integral part of the Commercial Drive community. Spice up your dinner routine with his easy and delicious Cajun Garlic Prawns recipe.
Cajun Garlic Prawns
Ingredients:
- 6-8 Prawns of your choice (Cleaned, De-veined with the Tail On, the bigger the Prawn, the better)
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 fl oz Olive Oil of your choice (A good quality Olive Oil will enhance the flavour)
- 1/4 Cup White Wine of your choice
- 1 Tablespoon Room Temperature Butter (Unsalted)
- 1 tsp Cajun Spice of your choice (Any Cajun seasoning from the grocery store will work fine)
- Lemon Juice – To Season
- Salt – To Season
- Lemon Wedge – To Garnish
- Chopped Parsley – To Garnish
Directions:
1. Add olive oil to a stainless steel, and turn the pan to medium heat. You want to start heating up the oil.
2. Before the oil reaches its smoking point and starts rippling in the pan, add the minced garlic and prawns. You want to sear the prawns on each side, and you want the Garlic to start going translucent. (Start over if your minced Garlic starts discolouring, the bitterness will carry throughout the dish and the burnt sediments will overpower the sauce.)
3. Once you get a sear on both sides, add your Cajun Spice, then add wine. You want to bring the wine to a boil, burning off the alcohol.
4. Reduce the mixture by 70%, you want the sauce to stick to the Prawns without it starting to split.
5. Turn heat off and add the butter. You want to first allow the butter to settle and start to melt, then stir slowly. You will see the sauce getting creamier as the butter starts emulsifying.
6. Season with salt and lemon juice. The Cajun Spice does already have a high salt content, so be easy with the salt in the beginning. If your sauce starts to split after adding your butter, add more room-temperature butter and stir the sauce off heat.
7. Plate, with the tails facing upwards. Pour the sauce over, and make sure you get all the minced garlic off the pan. Garnish with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge to add colour to the dish, and enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Note: The trick is to nail the emulsion stage of the dish, which relies on heat control.
