bread and garlic mayonnaise for a truly mouthwatering treat.
SERVES 4
675g raw prawns
900ml cold water
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 bay leaf
45ml olive oil
2 slices of stale bread, crusts removed
1 small onion, fi nely chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 large tomatoes, halved
1/2 a large green bell pepper, finely chopped
500g cockles (small clams) or mussels, cleaned
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
〉〉 Pull the heads off the prawns and put them in a pan with the cold water. Add the onion, celery and bay leaf and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Peel the prawns, adding the shells to the stock.
〉〉 Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the bread slices quickly, then reserve them. Fry the onion until it is soft, adding the garlic towards the end.
〉〉 Scoop the seeds out of the tomatoes and discard. Chop the flesh and add to the pan with the green pepper. Fry briefly, stirring occasionally. Strain the stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Check over the cockles or mussels, discarding any that are opened or damaged.
〉〉 Add half the cockles or mussels to the stock. When open, transfer some of them out onto a plate. Remove the mussels or cockles from the shells and discard the shells. You should end up having discarded half of the shells. Meanwhile, repeat the process to cook the remaining cockles or mussels.
〉〉 Return the cockles or mussels to the soup and add the prawns. Add the bread, torn into little pieces, and the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season to taste with paprika, salt and pepper and stir gently to mix in the bread. Serve.