The UK is really bad at making salad. A ‘salad’ to most Brits is a side salad of undressed, flabby iceberg lettuce with a few slices of salad/beef tomatoes (the only tomatoes with no flavour) and a few chunks of cucumber. It’s quite often served with something it has no business being paired with, such as a steak pie and chips. One of my pet hates is when restaurants put a side salad on a dish that has a hot sauce. Lettuce and gravy is not a good combination.
No wonder a lot of people think they don’t like salad. This one would convert even the most ardent salad hater. It’s sweet, spicy, savoury and full of texture. It’s also really versatile. For example, I have served this at a barbecue by making up the salad beforehand minus the prawns, then serving cold with barbecued prawns. Delicious!
Prawn, tenderstem broccoli, feta & almond salad
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 100 g blanched almonds
- 400 g tenderstem broccoli
- 400 g raw large Madagascar prawns, peeled but with tails left on
- Finely-grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
- 1 heaped teaspoon rose harissa
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 200 g block of feta cheese
- 20 g dill fronds and stems finely chopped
For the dressing
- 4 heaped tablespoons clear honey
- Juice of 1½ lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C, Gas Mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the almonds on the prepared baking tray and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the broccoli for five minutes. Drain and plunge the broccoli stems into cold (but not iced) water to arrest cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, seasoning well with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Place the prawns in a large bowl, add the lemon zest, rose harissa and olive oil, season well with salt and work the mixture into the prawns. Leave the prawns to marinate for a few minutes, then lay them on the hot griddle pan and cook for two minutes on each side or until they turn pink and are cooked through. Remove the prawns from the heat.
- Choose a nice large platter and arrange the broccoli and prawns on it. Crumble over the feta cheese and scatter the almonds on top. Give the dressing a final stir and drizzle it over the salad. Scatter over the chopped dill and serve.
Full As An Egg 