Nik Sharma’s prawn, corn and cabbage salad recipe
When I was a kid in India, our family ate a lot of seafood, and I quickly learned that prawns, corn and cabbage are meant to be in a relationship.
If there is one vegetable that epitomises summer, it’s sweetcorn, harvested when the kernels are at peak ripeness and full of sugar.
But that also means that using corn at its peak is a race against time. Sweetcorn must be consumed soon after being picked because enzymes in the kernels convert into tasteless starch.When I was a kid in India, our family ate a lot of seafood, and I quickly learned that prawns, corn and cabbage are meant to be in a relationship. This salad was a dish I looked forward to every year. This is my take on that beloved dish, with more fresh herbs, toasted sesame and lip-tingling fresh lime.
Prawn corn and cabbage salad
Ingredients
- 4 sweetcorn, husked
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (for example, canola or grapeseed oil)
- 500g cooked king or banana prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup green or red cabbage, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked freekeh or pearl barley, cooled
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 fresh chilli (for example, jalapeño or serrano), thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup coriander
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 lime, zested
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Method
- Brush the sweet corn with the oil and sear on a very hot barbecue until they develop deep char marks all over, turning them over with a pair of tongs, for 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer the cobs from the barbecue to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Strip and collect the corn kernels from the cob by slicing with a knife. Transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
- Add the prawns to the corn, along with the cabbage, freekeh or pearl barley, shallots, chilli and barley, coriander, mint, pepper and lemon zest. Combine.
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk until combined the sesame oil, lime juice, honey or maple syrup. Pour this over the salad. Toss to coat well. Taste and season with sea salt and finely ground black pepper if needed. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Serves 4
Note: Red cabbage’s pink pigment will bleed a little on standing and stain the prawns. It doesn’t affect the taste, just turns the dish a rosy pink hue. Four ears of sweetcorn should give you about 3½ cups of corn kernels.
This is an edited extract from Veg-Table by Nik Sharma.