- 2 medium white onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 cucumber, washed
- 2 pinches ground paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp walnut oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 tiger prawns, heads and shells removed, deveined
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of ground paprika
- 2 red chilli, julienned and fried
- 2 tbsp coriander cress
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
- For the onion purée, trim both ends of the onions, but do not peel. Place both whole onions on a sheet of aluminium foil. Add the oil and thyme then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1½ hours until very soft.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and discard the outer layer of the onions together with the thyme. Place the soft onions and any cooking juices into a blender and pulse to a smooth purée (add a tablespoon of water if necessary).
- For the garnish, peel and half the cucumber (keep the peel to use in the dressing), then cut into elegant bite-size chunks. Season the cucumber with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cucumber until golden. Set aside.
- For the dressing, place all the cucumber peel (reserved from the garnish) in a juicer to produce a dark green juice. Put the juice in a small mixing bowl with all the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk to create a split vinaigrette dressing.
- For the tiger prawns, place the prawns in a mixing bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients, then season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat. Once hot, fry the prawns for a minute on each side, or until cooked through (the exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of the prawns).
- To serve, divide the prawns between serving plates. Spoon the onion purée alongside. Arrange the fried cucumber around the plates and drizzle over the dressing. Serve with the fried red chillies and coriander cress.