Prawn Tacos with Tropical Salsa & Coconut Chipotle Cream

Hot on the heels of my tropical granola comes one of my favourite dinners to eat in the sunshine - prawn tacos. These are great cooked on the BBQ but can of course happily be pan-fried or cooked under a grill and you can tailor the spice level depending on how much heat you can handle. My husband doesn’t like too much spice so I don’t always use chipotle paste in the marinade but if you like your heat then I say go for it - burn baby burn!

If you’re wondering what to serve with prawn tacos then I have the answer for you!The secret here is the coconut cream mixed with chipotle to make a creamy dressing with a little kick. It really adds something to the meal so if you can find it then I think that it’s worth it for sure - I use this coconut cream from Sainsbury’s and then use the rest of the carton to make a Pina Colada - the ultimate ‘holiday’ drink. If you can’t find coconut cream then you can use mayo instead.

This list of ingredients looks a little long, but don’t let that put you off. This is a pretty simple chip and mix recipe that doesn’t need much skill. You can also do all of the prep ahead if you’re multiplying the recipe for friends. What makes these extra-tropical and special is the tropical salsa. In the past, I’ve made this with just mango but I had a fridge full of fruit and couldn’t resist adding some pineapple too and I’m so so glad I did.

I recently got some metal BBQ skewers like these ones and it has made all the difference from using wooden ones which can be a bit flimsy and need soaking first. These make life a lot easier and are great for making things like chicken gyros as the heat conducts through the centre helping cook the middle.

HOW TO MAKE TROPICAL PRAWN TACOS

Time: 20 minutes + marinating time if you have it

Serves 2

Skill: Easy

INGREDIENTS

For the prawns:

250g raw king prawns (frozen are usually much better value!)

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp fajita seasoning

Sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1tsp chipotle paste (optional)

Drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper

For the tropical salsa:

100g mango in small chunks

100g pineapple in small chunks

1 ripe avo cut into small chunks

1/2 red onion finely diced

1/2 a red chilli finely diced (optional)

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Juice of one lime

For the coconut chipotle dressing:

3 tablespoons coconut cream or mayo

1 teaspoon chipotle paste

Juice of half a lime

To serve:

Fresh chillis or jalapenos

Lime wedges

6 Small tortillas/soft tacos

1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced

METHOD

1. Marinate the prawns with the rest of the prawn ingredients for a few hours if you can, or simply while you’re prepping everything else.

2. To make the salsa, combine the listed ingredients together and give it a really good mix so it’s coated in the lime juice - this will stop the avo from going brown! You want the chunky quite small so get a good mix of everything in each bite.

3. To make the dressing combine the coconut cream, chipotle paste and a squeeze of lime juice in a small bowl. Can’t find coconut cream? See the notes below.

4. To serve, warm the tortillas, get all the ingredients assembled on the table ready and then it’s time to cook the prawns.

5. Slide the prawns onto the skewers if you have them so they’re easy to flip on the BBQ. They’ll take just a matter of minutes to cook on a hot bbq so watch them like a hawk. Not BBQing? That’s fine, simply fry the prawns in a hot pan for a couple of minutes until they’re pink and juicy. Prawns cook really quickly (and get cold quite quickly too) so make sure everything is on the table ready for assembly.

6. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Wooden skewers are ok, but these metal ones are cheap and will last for years and years. It’s one of those purchases I regret not buying sooner.

• If you only have mango or pineapple that’s ok. Just use one whole mango or just pineapple. You want about 200g total.

• If you can’t find coconut cream which is nice and thick and creamy (not to be confused with coconut milk), you can use mayo and it will still be delish!

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