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Aromatic Prawn Skewers with Mango and Citrus
With Sweet-Sour Sauce and Bulgur Cooked in Prawn Stock
🍽️ 3 servings Prep 25 min. Cook 25 min. Total 50 min. ⭐ Medium

Marinated prawns are grilled with tomatoes, served over bulgur cooked in shell stock and finished with a mango-citrus sauce.

The Story Behind the Recipe

After finishing my master’s degree, I lived in central London for a while. One of my jobs was photographing weddings and christenings, including celebrations held by Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean families.

At one wedding, the bride was Pakistani and the groom was Caribbean. They held two receptions: one with Indian and Pakistani food, and another featuring Caribbean cooking.

At the second buffet, I tasted wonderfully aromatic prawns that stayed in my mind. I loved them so much that I began searching for a way to recreate the flavor.

I found a recipe that brought me close, then adjusted it through several trials until it matched what I remembered. This is my version, served with a sweet-sour sauce and bulgur cooked in stock made from the shells.

The Technique

  • Use the shells to make stock for the bulgur.
  • Cook the used marinade before serving it as sauce.
  • Add the thickening slurry gradually.
Ingredients

Prawns and Marinade

  • Medium prawns: approximately 450 g / 1 lb, shell-on before cleaning

  • Olive oil: 60 ml / ¼ US cup

  • Orange juice: 60 ml / ¼ US cup

  • Mango juice: 80 ml / ⅓ US cup

  • Lemon: juice of ½

  • Garlic: 2 cloves, crushed

  • Spring onion: 1, finely chopped

  • Thyme: 4-6 sprigs

  • Sweet or hot smoked paprika: ½ tsp

  • Black pepper: ¼ tsp

  • Salt: approximately ¼ tsp, adjusted to taste

  • Tomato pieces or cherry tomatoes: for the skewers

Bulgur and Sauce

  • Bulgur: your preferred serving quantity

  • Reserved prawn shells: for stock

  • All-purpose flour or cornstarch: a little

  • Cold water: an equal quantity to the flour, for the slurry

Steps

Marinating and Stock

  1. Peel and devein the prawns, reserving the shells.

  2. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the prawns in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.

  3. Simmer the shells in lightly salted water to make stock. Strain thoroughly.

  4. Cook the bulgur in the strained stock according to its requirements.

Grilling and Sauce

  1. Thread prawns and tomatoes alternately onto skewers.

  2. Cook on a hot griddle or over charcoal, up to approximately 3 minutes per side, adjusting for size.

  3. Bring the used marinade to a full boil before continuing to make the sauce.

  4. Mix a little flour with an equal quantity of cold water. Gradually stir into the sauce and cook until thickened, with no raw flour taste.

  5. Stop at your preferred consistency; you may not need all the slurry.

  6. Serve the bulgur, skewers and sauce together.

Tips and Secrets

  1. Charcoal is my preference, although I used an electric griddle here.

  2. Choose sweet or hot smoked paprika.

  3. The shell stock is for the bulgur; the slurry thickens only the sauce.

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