The market · Fish and seafood
Prawns
Sweet shellfish, at their best barely cooked.
sweet · briny
What to do with it
JavaneseLumpia SemarangSpring rolls filled with bamboo shoot, egg and prawn, fried or left soft, with a thick sweet garlic sauce and whole spring onion.No one here has made it yet
ThaiTom yumA hot and sour broth scented with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf, sharpened with lime and fish sauce — usually with prawns.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseGỏi cuốnRice paper wrapped round prawns, pork, rice noodles, lettuce and herbs, eaten fresh with a dipping sauce.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBánh xèoA thin, crisp pancake of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric, folded round pork, prawns and bean sprouts, wrapped in leaves and herbs and dipped in nước chấm.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetMalaysianChar kway teowFlat rice noodles fried hard in lard over fierce heat with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts and chives.No one here has made it yetFilipinoPancit cantonThick egg noodles stir-fried with pork, chicken, prawns and vegetables in soy and stock, with calamansi to squeeze over.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseWonton noodle soupThin, springy egg noodles and prawn wontons in a clear broth, finished with a few chives.No one here has made it yetCantoneseSiu maiOpen-topped dumplings of pork and prawn in a thin yellow wrapper, steamed, and often dotted on top with fish roe or a little carrot.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangYangzhou fried riceDay-old rice fried with egg, prawns, ham, peas and spring onion — each grain separate and coated.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangSquirrel-shaped mandarin fishA whole mandarin fish, boned, scored deep and fried so the flesh fans out in spikes, then covered in a bright sweet-and-sour sauce.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangDazhu gansiPressed tofu shaved into hair-fine threads, simmered in a rich chicken stock with shreds of ham, chicken, bamboo shoot and prawns.No one here has made it yetZhejiangLongjing shrimpSmall peeled river shrimp, quick-fried pale and tender, then tossed with the fresh leaves of Longjing green tea.No one here has made it yetFujianPopiahA soft, paper-thin wheat crêpe rolled round a filling of braised vegetables, egg, prawn and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetFujianShacha noodlesYellow noodles in a rich, orange, peanutty broth of shacha sauce, topped with your choice of seafood, offal and tofu.No one here has made it yet
JapaneseChawanmushiA savoury egg custard, steamed in a teacup with dashi, and set so softly it barely holds.2 versions hereGoanPrawn balchãoPrawns cooked in a fiery, sweet-sour red paste of chilli, garlic and vinegar until thick — half curry, half pickle, and keeps for weeks.No one here has made it yetValencianFideuàShort, thin noodles cooked like a paella in a wide pan, in a strong fish stock with prawns and squid, until they curl up and crisp on top.No one here has made it yetAndalusianPescaíto fritoSmall fish, squid and pieces of dogfish tossed in flour and fried fast in hot olive oil, eaten crisp with salt and lemon.No one here has made it yetNormanSole normandeSole poached in wine or cider and fish stock, garnished with mussels, prawns and mushrooms, in a sauce of the reduced liquor with cream and egg yolks.No one here has made it yetNormanMarmite dieppoiseChannel fish and shellfish — sole, scallops, mussels, prawns — cooked in a broth of leeks and white wine or cider, finished with cream.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunPo'boyA long New Orleans loaf — crackly crust, feather-light inside — filled with fried prawns or oysters, or roast beef in gravy.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJamaican pepper shrimpFreshwater shrimp boiled in their shells with scotch bonnet, garlic and allspice until red and fiercely hot.No one here has made it yetBrazilianMoqueca baianaFish, or prawns, stewed in coconut milk and dendê palm oil with tomato, peppers, onion, lime and coriander.No one here has made it yet
ThaiTom yumA hot and sour broth scented with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf, sharpened with lime and fish sauce — usually with prawns.No one here has made it yetThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetVietnameseGỏi cuốnRice paper wrapped round prawns, pork, rice noodles, lettuce and herbs, eaten fresh with a dipping sauce.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBánh xèoA thin, crisp pancake of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric, folded round pork, prawns and bean sprouts, wrapped in leaves and herbs and dipped in nước chấm.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetMalaysianChar kway teowFlat rice noodles fried hard in lard over fierce heat with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts and chives.No one here has made it yetFilipinoPancit cantonThick egg noodles stir-fried with pork, chicken, prawns and vegetables in soy and stock, with calamansi to squeeze over.No one here has made it yetCantoneseWonton noodle soupThin, springy egg noodles and prawn wontons in a clear broth, finished with a few chives.No one here has made it yetCantoneseSiu maiOpen-topped dumplings of pork and prawn in a thin yellow wrapper, steamed, and often dotted on top with fish roe or a little carrot.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangYangzhou fried riceDay-old rice fried with egg, prawns, ham, peas and spring onion — each grain separate and coated.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangSquirrel-shaped mandarin fishA whole mandarin fish, boned, scored deep and fried so the flesh fans out in spikes, then covered in a bright sweet-and-sour sauce.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangDazhu gansiPressed tofu shaved into hair-fine threads, simmered in a rich chicken stock with shreds of ham, chicken, bamboo shoot and prawns.No one here has made it yetZhejiangLongjing shrimpSmall peeled river shrimp, quick-fried pale and tender, then tossed with the fresh leaves of Longjing green tea.No one here has made it yetFujianPopiahA soft, paper-thin wheat crêpe rolled round a filling of braised vegetables, egg, prawn and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetFujianShacha noodlesYellow noodles in a rich, orange, peanutty broth of shacha sauce, topped with your choice of seafood, offal and tofu.No one here has made it yetJapaneseChawanmushiA savoury egg custard, steamed in a teacup with dashi, and set so softly it barely holds.2 versions hereGoanPrawn balchãoPrawns cooked in a fiery, sweet-sour red paste of chilli, garlic and vinegar until thick — half curry, half pickle, and keeps for weeks.No one here has made it yetValencianFideuàShort, thin noodles cooked like a paella in a wide pan, in a strong fish stock with prawns and squid, until they curl up and crisp on top.No one here has made it yetAndalusianPescaíto fritoSmall fish, squid and pieces of dogfish tossed in flour and fried fast in hot olive oil, eaten crisp with salt and lemon.No one here has made it yetNormanSole normandeSole poached in wine or cider and fish stock, garnished with mussels, prawns and mushrooms, in a sauce of the reduced liquor with cream and egg yolks.No one here has made it yetNormanMarmite dieppoiseChannel fish and shellfish — sole, scallops, mussels, prawns — cooked in a broth of leeks and white wine or cider, finished with cream.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunPo'boyA long New Orleans loaf — crackly crust, feather-light inside — filled with fried prawns or oysters, or roast beef in gravy.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJamaican pepper shrimpFreshwater shrimp boiled in their shells with scotch bonnet, garlic and allspice until red and fiercely hot.No one here has made it yetBrazilianMoqueca baianaFish, or prawns, stewed in coconut milk and dendê palm oil with tomato, peppers, onion, lime and coriander.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Tiger and king
- Large, firm.
- Small / shrimp
- For custards and fillings.
- Sweet (ama ebi)
- Eaten raw in Japan.
Goes with
Cooked with, here
How much, here
8–8% of the dish by weight — a place to start.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Fishmongers. Raw frozen is fine; look for MSC or ASC certification.