Cristina Bowerman's light and refreshing prawn starter recipe matches fresh prawns with an earthy chickpea hummus, a simple Mexican tomato salsa and the crispy crunch of a prawn cracker, or as the Italians say, a 'dragon cloud'.
For the hummus, place the soaked chickpeas in a saucepan with the bay leaf and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently until cooked through. Leave to cool, then drain the chickpeas through a colander
Add the chickpeas to a blender together with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, a pinch of cumin and a little salt. Blitz until you obtain a smooth mixture, adding a little water if too thick
Heat the peanut oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer, and fry the prawn cracker discs until puffed up and crisp. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper and reserve
Wash the red onion under cold running water for 10 minutes to remove some of the acidity. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper, then mix together with the diced tomatoes and coriander for the pico de gallo salsa
Clean the prawns and remove the intestinal tract. Roughly chop any large prawns and season with a splash of olive oil before mixing with the pico de gallo
Spread some hummus on to each serving plate, spoon over some prawn and salsa mixture and add a few salty finger leaves (or sprigs of samphire). Top with crispy prawn crackers, some baby salad leaves and a drizzle of olive oil
Cristina Bowerman is a multi-talented chef with a passion for travel and innovative cooking. Her creative plates are rooted in Italian tradition with international flair.
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