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Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve
Salt-Baked Dublin Bay Prawns with Aioli
Serves 4 as a first course
4 cups rock salt
20 cloves garlic, peeled
12 whole Dublin Bay prawns (about 3 pounds), langoustines, or head-on shrimp
Aioli for serving
Cook the prawns: Spread the salt in the bottom of a 17-inch paella pan or slopesided
sauté pan and dot it with the garlic cloves. Let the salt heat over high heat for
3 minutes. Lay the prawns on top of the salt in an even layer. Cook them for 15
minutes, turning them over halfway through, until they are deep orange. To test for
doneness, pull the body and head apart on one. The flesh should be white all the
way through.
To serve: Serve the prawns family style by placing the pan right on the table with a
crock of aioli on the side. Pull the heads off and suck the juices out of them
(delicious!) before discarding them, then peel the bodies and dip the meat in aioli.
Alioli
This is the Spanish preparation of aioli, made with egg yolks and olive oil.
The French version uses whole eggs and lighter oil and is therefore not as
intensely flavored.
Because the alioli has no acid in it to denature the egg’s protein, you need to
whip air into it in order for the oil molecules to bond with the protein
molecules. For this reason, it is best to use a stand mixer.
makes 21/2 cups
2 large egg yolks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup water, at room temperature
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Place the egg yolks, garlic, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the water in the bowl of a
stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed for 10 minutes,
until the yolks have doubled in volume and are pale white. Add half of the oil in a
thin stream, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Stream in the rest of
the oil; the allioli will be yellow and very thick. Season with more salt if you wish.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
