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Skye Gyngell's Squid with rocket and romesco ... but with prawns not squid


This is Skye Gyngell’s Squid with rocket and romesco but I couldn’t get squid in Waitrose on Saturday. I tried it with prawns and it seemed to work.
The salad and prawns obviously go pretty well already but the addition of the unusual bready, nutty texture of the romesco and its gently spicy flavour with its Spanish notes of paprika tomatoes, garlic, almonds and olive oil lifts it from run of the mill to something a little bit special.
If you don't have a pestle and mortar it would work pretty well in a blender on pulse ...adding the ingredients in the same order of course.
I am also now interested in trying Moro's version of this that has Piquillo peppers in.... I also think that you could make a slightlier runnier sauce and have it with many different grilled dishes.
We had it as a starter before the lamb with Harissa ...... and again the next day with some Italian sausages!
btw even the not very eagle eyed will realise that this is not my pic of the sauce ... as usual I forgot to take one ...I will replace next time I do it


Ingredients for the sauce

100g whole blanched almonds
60g shelled hazelnuts
2 large red chilli
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ripe tomatoes
6 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp course white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar, or a mixture of the two
2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika


Method

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4
Place the almonds and hazelnuts on a tray, and dry roast in the top of the oven for about 10 minutes or until light golden-brown.
Place the tomatoes and chilli on a baking tray and roast for about 10-12 minutes, turning half way through cooking.
Seed the chilli.
Put the garlic and a little salt into a large mortar and crush with the pestle until you have a paste.
Then add the seeded chilli and crush again.
Add the nuts and pound until the paste is fairly smooth.
Add the tomatoes and paprika and continue to pound but more gently Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the wine vinegar, the breadcrumbs and finally the olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
Make in advance.

Ingredients for the salad

650 gms raw prawns
Olive oil

Large handful of mint leaves
Large handful of basil leaves
A couple of large handfuls of rocket
Juice of 1 lemon
60mls ex virgin olive oil

Method

For the salad

Place all of the leaves in a large bowl, dress and season

Heat a large non stick frying pan add a tbs spoon oil
And cook the prawns for a couple of minutes each side
Squeeze over some lemon juice and season generously.
Tip the prawns into the salad to combine the flavours
Plate up and crumble a generous portion of romesco over
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