New York Times recipe: Salt and pepper prawn rolls

Jiao yan xia, the classic Chinese dish of head-on, fried prawns finished with a Sichuan or white pepper salt seasoning, inspired these prawn rolls — themselves a celebration of salt and pepper. Peeled prawns are seasoned, breaded with cornstarch and fried until super crunchy before getting tucked into toasted rolls. Fresh coriander, sliced chillis and a squeeze of fresh lime brighten the hearty sandwich, which leaves you with a little reward: leftover pepper-salt. Store any extra in an airtight container, and use it to season roasted meats and vegetables.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 ½ cups)

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 hot dog buns, preferably top-split

450g peeled and deveined jumbo prawns (16 to 20 prawns), tails removed

¼ cup full cream milk

1 cup cornstarch

2 jalapeno or red cayenne chillis, thinly sliced

Tender coriander sprigs, for garnish

Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

Step 1 In a 12-inch (30cm) cast-iron or heavy frying pan, heat 2.5cm of oil over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 175C.

Step 2 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic; mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine pepper and salt.

Step 3 Heat a medium nonstick frying pan over medium. Using 1 teaspoon of garlic mayonnaise per bun, spread on outer sides of buns, then toast them until golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plates.

Step 4 Season prawns with about 1 teaspoon of the pepper-salt, dip in milk, then dredge in cornstarch, gently pressing so cornstarch adheres. Working in two batches, fry prawns until crispy and cooked through, turning halfway, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with more of the pepper-salt mixture.

Step 5 Smear some garlic mayonnaise on the inner centre of buns, then divide prawns among buns. Top with chillis, coriander and more pepper salt. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4

Total time: 15 minutes

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2021 The New York Times Company