A prawn cocktail is super easy; you can buy it ready to eat from the store, you can buy cooked shrimp and make your own, you can steam your own prawns and make you own cocktail sauce OR any combination possible!  Here I steam the prawns and make a Thai inspired cocktail sauce.  Be forewarned, the cocktail sauce has a little heat, but is not overpowering or overwhelming.

Prawns with Thai inspired Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients:

• 12 prawns (16-20 or 26-30 per pound)
• 1/3 cup spicy banana sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 1/2 tsp lemongrass, puree
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Thai basil, chopped

Preparation:

Place the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Allow to sit and meld in the refrigerator while you prepare the prawns.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 cup of water to boiling. Peel and clean the prawns, leaving the tail on. Place the prawns in a steamer basket or mesh strainer. In a large bowl, fill halfway with ice and top up with cold water. Place the steamer basket (or strainer) over the boiling water and cover loosely.  Let the prawns steam until they are bright orange, then plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and quickly cool them. Place the cooled prawns along the rim of a martini glass and spoon the cocktail sauce into the middle.