Creole Prawn Blaff

Vanessa Bolosier’s Sunshine Kitchen is full of delicious Creole recipes from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Her Prawn Blaff recipe is deceptively simple, featuring prawns flavoured with a few key aromats, and yet it’s packed full of flavour, and very easy indeed to make. This quick and vibrant dish encapsulates the colours and punchy flavours of Caribbean Creole cooking.

Read our full review of Sunshine Kitchen and the Caribbean flavours to be found within its bright and enticing cover.

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Prawn blaff | Blaff d’ouassous

Some say blaff gets its name from the sound fish and seafood make when thrown into the fragrant broth: ‘blaff’! Others think it derives from the French word blafard, which means pale, because of how colourless the sauce is. This simple dish has its roots in French cuisine, with a very aromatic broth that tastes wonderful served with simply boiled roots such as sweet potatoes, yam or plantains.

Servings 4 servings

Author Vanessa Bolosier

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2lb 4oz) raw jumbo tiger prawns (large shrimp)
• 2 limes
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove
• 3 spring onions (scallions), chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 500 ml/18fl oz/2 cups water
• 1 habanero chilli
• 2 sprigs parsley, chopped

Instructions

• Marinate the prawns in their shells with the juice of 1 lime, 1 crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper for at least 2 hours. 
• Heat the oil in a pot over a medium heat, add the onions, clove, spring onions, bay leaf and thyme and cook for 3 minutes. Add the water, the whole chilli and the juice of ½ a lime and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, taking care not to burst the chilli. 
• Add the prawns with their marinade, along with the remaining garlic, the juice of the remaining ½ lime, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the chilli and serve hot, in bowls.

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Kavey Eats was provided with a review copy of Vanessa Bolosier’s Sunshine Kitchen: : Delicious Creole recipes from the heart of the Caribbean from publisher Pavilion Books. Book image (top) credit: Clare Winfield. Home-cooked image (below) credit: Nicky Bramley.