Red Prawns Cooked on a Bed of Salt
What You Need
Ingredients
Preparation
In Jeff Koehler’s cookbook, The Spanish Mediterranean Islands, he demonstrates how cooking red prawns simply highlights their sweet, delicate flavor. While often grilled, many local Spaniards prefer cooking them on a bed of salt, which flavors the prawns and protects them from direct heat. Koehler describes one of the greatest pleasures of eating prawns is removing the head—where the flavor is concentrated—and gently squeezing, while you suck out the juices before peeling and eating the rest.
*Excerpted from The Spanish Mediterranean Islands Cookbook© 2025 by Jeff Koehler. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.
*This recipe originally ran in the United Kingdom on HexClad.uk.
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In a HexClad 12"/30 cm Hybrid Fry Pan, spread salt in an even layer. Heat pan over medium-high until the salt is hot, about 2 minutes. Carefully arrange prawns on top of the salt and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook prawns until they begin to turn white, about 5 minutes. Turn prawns and continue cooking until the shells look white and ashy in spots, 3 to 5 minutes more.
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Transfer prawns to a large plate or platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining prawns, then serve right away with lemon wedges.
NOTE Red prawns vary in size, which affects cooking time. Be sure not to overcook—they should be just barely cooked through and still juicy. Check with your local fishmonger for large prawns or purchase online at Williams-Sonoma.
