Prawn Cacciucco with Salsa Verde

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 12 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2 long red chillies, seeded and diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, cracked
  • 2 juniper berries, crushed
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 x 400g can cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
  • 20 large green King prawns, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 bunch parsley leaves
  • 1 bunch mint leaves
  • 1 bunch basil leaves
  • 2 tsp capers
  • zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 4 cornichons
  • cornbread, to serve

Instructions

1 Sauté the onion, half the garlic, chillies, bay leaves, fennel seeds, juniper berries and anchovies in 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil for 3 minutes, until aromatic. Mix in the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the prawns, then cook gently. Season with salt and pepper.
2 Combine the herbs, capers, zest, juice, cornichons and remaining garlic in a blender then purée with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Place cornbread in the bowl, ladle prawn mixture over, then serve with salsa verde.