Prawns Two Delicious Ways: Jerked and with Feta

Credit: Anastasia & Helen Koutalianos

With a classic Jamaican sauce, these jerk prawns will have your tastebuds singing

Spark the barbecue and crumble your feta. Here are two delicious ways to spice up your prawns: jerked in a Jamaican classic, and baked in a wine-infused garlic and tomato sauce with Greek feta. Enjoy!   

Jerked Prawns

Ingredients

• 1 tsp whole allspice berries (about 10 berries)
• 1 to 3 scotch bonnet peppers, deseeded*
• ¼ cup Golden Olive Eleni® certified organic extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, remove stems
• 3 green onions or ½ white onion, chopped
• 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fresh black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp fresh nutmeg, ground
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 pound (454g) prawns, deveined with tails intact

* Note: These peppers are hot, so add what you can take. I put in two and it had plenty of punch. If you can’t find scotch bonnet, try Congo peppers. In Vancouver you can find them at Polo Market at 5125 Victoria Drive (just past 33rd Avenue) or at any Caribbean market.

Instructions

1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients, with the exception of the prawns. Makes about 1 cup jerk sauce.
2. In a bowl, toss prawns in a quarter or half of the sauce. Let marinate overnight or as long as desired.
3. Grill or broil prawns on both sides until pink and cooked through (2 to 4 minutes). Serve with grilled veggies and a green salad.
4. Use remaining sauce to marinate chicken, beef (or other cuts of meat) or seafood.

Serves 4

Prawns with Feta (Youvetsi)

In Greece, this dish is traditionally made in clay pots, but you can use a casserole dish or Dutch oven. Serve as a main course over a bed of rice with a green salad or steamed vegetables on the side.

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs (¾ kg) prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tbsp Eleni® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 green onions (green part only), finely chopped (or chives)
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• Sea salt, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1–1¼ cups feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Place prawns in a bowl and squeeze lemon juice on them.
3. Heat ½ the olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high, add prawns, and cook until prawns have turned pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan and heat on medium-high. Add onions and garlic and sauté until lightly golden brown. Add green onions, tomato, wine, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Pour tomato sauce and prawns into a casserole and top with feta cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 4-6

Excerpt taken from: From the Olive Grove: Mediterranean Cooking with Olive Oil. Original recipe named Shrimp with Feta (Youvetsi). Published by Arsenal Pulp Press (2010).