Dry-Fried Argentine Red Prawns

Ingredients

• 2-3 Argentine red prawns (frozen)
• 5 g sea salt
• black pepper (ground)
• 20 ml white wine
• 1 ml soy sauce
• 3 leaves coriander
• 1 slice lemon
• 10 g onion
• 10 g ginger
• 10 g garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Thaw the prawns in the fridge overnight. This is non-negotiable — room-temperature thaw damages the delicate flesh and leaches umami into the water. Once thawed, pat them bone-dry with kitchen paper. Any surface moisture will steam instead of brown, and you need aggressive colour for this dish to work.

This is pan-frying built on temperature control. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers and moves like water — about two minutes. The pan itself must be hot enough that the prawn shell crisps immediately on contact. Lay the prawns flat, shell-side down, and do not move them for two minutes. You want the shell to colour from translucent grey to burnt orange. Resist the urge to brush or shuffle. The browning comes from the Maillard reaction, which requires undisturbed, dry heat. Once the underside has darkened, flip.

Immediately scatter the crushed garlic over the turned prawns and shake the pan gently for thirty seconds to release the garlic's volatile oils — this is your aromatics layer. Add the white wine in one pour. It will sizzle and deglaze the pan, lifting the browned solids that carry all the flavour. Reduce heat to medium and let the wine reduce by half, about one minute. The alcohol cooks off and leaves behind a concentrated, slightly sweet base.

Now add salt and black pepper, tasting as you go — prawns are already briny, so you're building balance, not overwhelming. A drop of soy sauce per prawn adds depth without turning the dish overly Asian cuisine-leaning; it's an umami anchor, not an identifier. The acid is the lemon — you'll arrange fresh slices around the plate and squeeze them over at the table. This way the citrus stays bright rather than stewing into bitterness during plating. Scatter the coriander leaves at the last moment so they stay green and aromatic. A half-squeeze of lemon per prawn is the right ratio.