Prawn Stuffed Courgettes Recipes

GARLICKY PRAWN COURGETTE BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160ºC fan). Score courgette (like you're dicing an avocado) and scoop out insides to use later. Place courgette boats in a large baking dish and drizzle all over with oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle thyme leaves on top. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes.
• In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add prawns and season with salt and pepper. Cook until pink and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and when cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces. Return prawns to pan then stir in reserved courgette, tomatoes, and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add cream, Parmesan, and lemon juice, and cook until slightly reduced, 3 minutes.
• Fill courgette boats with prawn mixture and top with mozzarella. Cook until cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes more.
• Garnish with more Parmesan and parsley, if desired, before serving.

PRAWN-STUFFED SPICY FISH WITH VERMICELLI

Steps:

• Serving suggestion: Crisp, dressed green salad.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/gas 6. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the vermicelli, and cook for slightly less time than it says on the packet. You want it to be al dente. Once ready, drain, rinse in coldwater and leave to cool. Put it into a large bowl and grate in your courgettes (zucchini). Add the chopped tomatoes, coriander (cilantro), preserved lemon, 1 teaspoon harissa, sweet paprika, ground ginger, and cumin. Mix it all together really well with your clean hands, then have a taste, add a pinch of salt and pepper if needed, and put aside. Place the fish on a large chopping board and score the skin every 3/4-inch/2 cm on both sides at a slight angle, using a sharp knife. Sprinkle over a little salt, a small pinch of cumin, and a pinch each of sweet paprika and ground ginger. Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon harissa with 1 teaspoon olive oil and rub 1/2 of it into the fish, making sure it gets into the cuts you've made. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side. Spoon 2/3 of the vermicelli filling into a large baking tray or earthenware-type dish, making a bed for the fish; gently place the fish on top. Stir your prawns into the rest of the vermicelli filling and spoon this into the cavity of the fish, pushing it right in-don't worry if it spills out a little. Drizzle over a little olive oil, and roast in the hot oven for around 25 minutes, until the fish is crisp on the outside and cooked through. To serve, pull the meat off and pick the bones out. Add a spoonful of the vermicelli filling on the side of each plate and serve with a crisp, dressed green salad.

PRAWN-STUFFED COURGETTES

Steps:

• Blanch the courgettes in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, drain and cool quickly. Halve lengthways, scoop out the flesh and chop. Arrange the shells in a shallow ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and shallots and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, courgette flesh, Tabasco, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the prawns, then spoon the sauce into and over the courgettes. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard, cheeses and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over the courgettes and bake in a preheated hot oven, 220C (425F), Gas Mark 7, for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Serve immediately.

FRAGRANT COURGETTE & PRAWN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large wok and stir-fry the courgettes for 5-6 mins until softened. Lift from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind.
• Add the cumin seeds to the pan and toast for a few secs, then add the ginger, garlic, chilli and spices. Cook, stirring for 1-2 mins, then tip in the tomatoes and cook for a few mins more.
• Pour in the stock and simmer to make a pulpy sauce, then add the courgettes and prawns. Cook gently until the prawns change from grey to pink and the courgettes are tender, but not too soft. Stir in most of the coriander, saving some to sprinkle over the top. Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney, if you like.

LEMONY PRAWN & COURGETTE TAGLIATELLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the courgette for 4-5 mins, then stir through the garlic and chilli.
• Cook the tagliatelle following pack instructions. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
• Add the prawns to the courgette mixture, and cook for 2 mins until pink. Toss through the tagliatelle, the lemon zest and juice, parsley, some seasoning and a splash of the reserved cooking water. Divide between bowls and serve.

STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS

Steps:

• To make the batter, whisk the egg, flour and bicarb together in a wide bowl. Gradually pour in the iced water, whisking continuously, until you have a smooth batter the consistency of double cream. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat all the filling ingredients together with some seasoning until well mixed. To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a third bowl with some seasoning and set aside.
• Gently open up each flower and remove the stamen if there is one. Place spoonfuls of filling inside. Close the flower, twisting the ends of the petals to seal. Heat a deep-fryer to 180C. (If you don't have a deep-fryer, see right.) Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan, dip the flowers in the batter and fry for 2 mins, then use a slotted spoon to carefully flip them and fry for another 2 mins until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and leave in a warm place while you fry the rest. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve 2 flowers on each plate with a circle of dressing around the outside of the plate.