Prawns with Bottarga Butter

Prawns with bottarga butter is perfect for a quick and tasty dinner – even more so if you keep a roll of bottarga butter in the freezer! Use this recipe as inspiration for all sorts of flavoured butter to melt over seafood, meat, poultry or vegetables – or toss through freshly cooked pasta – for a quick, delicious meal. Garlic, fresh herbs, spicy ‘nduja all work just as well as bottarga! You can order chef Giovanni Pilu’s Australian-made bottarga here. Prawns are at their most succulent if cooked only on the shell side, without turning them over, as the shell protects the delicate flesh (see video below). Prawns oxidise quickly once they’re caught or harvested so are best stored either frozen or refrigerated in a tub of cold water (details on storing prawns here). I find Champagne has a lovely synergy with fish roe and that extends to bottarga, especially a Champagne that’s spent extended time on lees like Vignes de la Vallée from Dehours. Based on pinot meunier, it has depth and earthiness to match the salty mullet roe and a lovely touch of citrus to lift the sweet prawns. Try it!

Serves 2

Ingredients

8 large green prawns
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt flakes, to taste
Crusty bread, for serving

Bottarga Butter

10g (about 1 tablespoon) grated bottarga
100g butter, at room temperature

Method

Remove prawns from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking, to bring them to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make Bottarga Butter: mix bottarga into the butter until well combined.
Spoon butter horizontally down the centre of a long strip of baking paper, fold the paper over and use a ruler to press against the side, pushing the butter into a log.
Roll up in the paper, twisting the ends to secure them, and refrigerate (or freeze) until needed.
Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan to medium-high.
Meanwhile, slice Bottarga Butter into discs and set aside.
Remove head and legs from prawns, cut prawns in half lengthways, discarding the digestive tract. Place on a plate, shell side up.
Drizzle prawn shells well with oil and place on grill, shell side down.
Sprinkle flesh side with salt.
Grill prawns for about 3 minutes, until shell is bright red and flesh is almost entirely opaque (see video below).
Place on a warmed platter.
Top prawns with Bottarga Butter and serve with crusty bread.