Allyson Gofton - Pesto Prawns

A summer favourite in our home. The pesto style marinade will work well with diced fish, pork or chicken. Sesame oil can be quite overpowering when used in excess, but a little adds a lovely flavour.

Ingredients

• 1½-2 firmly packed basil leaves
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ¼ cup pinenuts
• 1 red chilli, deseeded
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tblsp chopped fresh coriander
• about ¼ cup oil (preferably peanut)
• 500 grams shelled green prawns

Method

1. In a food processor or blender put the basil leaves, garlic, ginger, pinenuts, chilli, sesame oil, brown sugar and coriander and pulse to chop. With the machine running pour sufficient oil down the feed tube until it makes a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Rinse and devein the prawns and toss with the pesto. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours if possible to allow the flavours to penetrate the prawns.
3. Pan fry or grill the prawns until they turn a lovely pink colour. Serve on skewers with a basil leaf if wished and accompanied with your favourite chilli sauce.

Find more delicious recipes by Allyson here.