Prawn Cocktail!!!

1. Let's talk PRAWNS! The better and fresher your prawns, the tastier this will be. In Australia, seafood stores and even major supermarkets sell really great quality fresh whole cooked prawns. They are basically cooked the moment they are caught, so they are great quality!

For a premium, you can purchase them already peeled. But they will be juicier and fresher if you peel them yourself!

2. Whole Egg Mayonnaise is smoother and not as sharp in flavour as classic mayonnaise. It is now widely available in Australian supermarkets - I use S&W (sold at Woolies and Coles).

3. Tomato Sauce in Australia/UK and many other countries outside America is a condiment that is the equivalent of ketchup (just slightly less flavouring spices in it). If you are in America, do NOT use your tomato sauce which is more like pureed tinned tomatoes with some flavourings, the flavour is not strong enough!

4. How much prawns per person - I cater for 100g / 3.5 oz of prawns per head which I think is a good size for starters. But you can be as generous as you want!

5. Prep time assumes you use already peeled prawns. I peeled my own - it takes me about 15 minutes to peel 1 kg / 2 lb of medium sized prawns (about 45 I think), but I've had practice! Line up the family at the kitchen bench and make a production line out of it!

6. Sauce recipe by Neil Perry.

7. Make Ahead: Peel prawns and place in airtight container for up to 24 hours (the fresher the better). Make sauce and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Assemble just before serving. If you assemble more than say 3 hours ahead, you'll end up with sauce pooled on the lettuce. I assembled it 5 hours ahead and had that problem - still delish and still enough sauce on the prawns, but there was more sauce than ideal pooled at the base of the glass.

8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings.