Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Tacos are a family favourite around here with absolutely ANY filling but these prawn ones with zingy pineapple salsa and guacamole make for a really fresh and tasty change.

They are quick and simple to prepare so ideal for a midweek meal when there's less time. The below serves four and the salsa and guacamole can last in the fridge for a few days - but I doubt it'll last that long.

Quick Prawn Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Guacamole

Here's how:

For the prawns:

• 350g king prawns
• Zest & juice of x1 lime
• x1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey
• Pinch salt and black pepper

Pineapple Salsa:

• 60g pineapple (fresh, frozen or tinned works)
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 large red chilli
• big handful coriander

Guacamole:

• 1-2 ripe avocados
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tomato
• handful coriander
• Salt
• Juice of x1 lime

x8 Mini tortilla wraps

Firstly marinate the prawns in all of the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside for ten minutes whilst you prepare the salsa and the guacamole.

For the salsa, I simply add all of the ingredients to my Nutribullet and blitz for a thin salsa. If you prefer a chunkier consistency you could just chop everything or grind in a pestle and mortar. 

For the guacamole, the avocados are added to a mortar (or just use a hardy bowl) and add a generous pinch of sea salt and the lime juice. Dice the tomato into small chunks and finely dice the red onion and add to the mortar. Mince in the garlic and then roughly chop the coriander before adding both to the mortar then grinding with the pestle. I like a thick and chunky consistency for guacamole so only do to combine everything, but if you prefer smooth just do for longer. You can do with a fork and bowl too if you don't have a pestle and mortar.

Now in a pan add a drizzle of oil (olive, vegetable, rapeseed works well) and add the marinated prawns. Cook for approximately one minute on each side or until pink all over and remove from the pan. It's really easy for prawns for overcook so as soon as they're pink get them out of there to avoid rubbery overcooked prawns!

The tortilla wraps, I like to warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, then place each one into a toast rack (or you can place folder over a sauce bottle) for a minute to get the 'taco' style shape. 

Then pop onto a plate and load up with the prawns and serve your salsa and guacamole on the side or over the top. Enjoy!

Over Tex Mex style recipes I have shared include:

• Lamb Tacos
• Speedy Chorizo Nachos
• Prawn & Chorizo Jambalaya 
• Spicy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Salad
• Easy Salmon Tacos
• Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Thomasina Mier's Fruity Chilli

I’m constantly tearing out recipes from magazines, saving or pinning online recipes and taking notes during TV shows of dishes I want to try and this weekend I finally made one I’ve had earmarked for a while.

Being a big fan of Wahaca, when Thomasina Miers’ Mexican Food Made Simple aired, I was avidly viewing week by week and one of the recipes she prepared that I really liked the look of was for a fruity chilli. After a bit of online digging and having to re-watch the episode via  Channel 5 Online yesterday afternoon, I took note of all of the ingredients, decided to omit from using banana and pear and popped out to get the remainder of the ingredients I didn’t already have in my brother’s stock cupboard, where I’ve been staying for a few nights.

I made a large batch, to freeze half for a pre-prepared mid-week meal, and the rest fed four of us comfortably. Combining both lean steak and pork mince, and with a sauce flavoured with charred vegetables and chipotle the end result was rich, smoky and delicious – a perfect warming, winter meal. I served it with rice, homemade salsa and guacamole, sour cream and some tortilla chips.

Here’s How:

500g each of lean steak and lean pork mince

2 large onions

6 large tomatoes

2 bell peppers

2 cloves of garlic

1 large red chilli

2 apples, peeled and chopped into cubes

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons of raisins or dried fruit

Heaped tsp of each of the following: ground cinnamon, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper

2 cloves

2 tablespoons of oregano (I used dried as couldn’t get hold of any fresh and it was fine)

75 chipotle paste

50 ml chicken stock

1 tin of red kidney beans

First off, whack the oven up to a high heat, and place on a baking sheet the tomatoes, peppers and the onions roughly chopped. Place them into the oven until the skin is blackened, then leave to one side to cool.

Brown off the mince and whilst it’s cooking, place the charred vegetables into a blender and blitz until liquidised – the blackened vegetables will give this basis of your sauce a great, smoked flavour. Now you need to add the flavours – add all of your herbs and spices, garlic and chilli along with the chipotle paste and blitz once more.

Once browned, transfer the mince to a saucepan, then cover with your sauce and stir through thoroughly. Next add your apples and raisins (and if you wish to stick to Thomasina’s recipe your pear and banana) and the chicken stock and kidney beans and stir again. Now place on a moderate heat for 45 minutes-an hour.

In the meantime prepare your salsa by finely chopping 2 tomatoes, 1 red onion and 1 chilli and a tsp of sun-dried tomato paste in a small bowl or ramekin. Pour in some garlic infused olive oil and then leave to intensify as the chilli is cooking.

For the guacamole, in a mortar, place a finely chopped red onion, chopped red chilli and 1 clove of garlic with 2 chopped avocadoes and some fresh coriander and grind with the pestle till you’re left with a fairly chunky texture. Next add the juice of 1 lime and add a pinch of salt and pepper then grind again. Just before serving, mix in some freshly chopped coriander.

Finally cook your rice to the packet instructions, or if you prefer jacket potatoes, and once cooked, plate up with a spoonful each of the salsa, guacamole and sour cream with a bowl of moreish tortillas in the middle of the table, and some grated cheddar cheese for a seriously satisfying, fiery, yet smoky meal.  It might not look very glam, but when it’s cold outside, this kind of a meal is balm, to whoever you’re feeding.

Mooli's

Today after two years of meaning to, I finally made it to Moolis in Frith Street for lunch, with my good friend Steph.

I've seen praise for Moolis from the likes of The Guardian, The Metro and Evening Standard to name just a few, so naturally expectations were high.
Moolis offers roti wraps with a variety of fillings - six in total, with two vegetarian options. Steph opted for the Goan pork with pomegranate salsa and was left so satisfied she exclaimed excitedly halfway through "this is better than Wahaca", where she has recently discovered and loved. I had to agree with her - it had the perfect level of spice for me, the pork had a juicy picquancy and the cooling crunch of the fruit was an idylic partner - scrummy.
I had the Keralan beef with coconut, salsa and yoghurt. The beef was again spiced beautifully, and flaky, spiced pieces simply melted in my mouth. The salsa running through the roti really was tasty and just highlighted the overall freshness of it all - the roti had no grease at all - lovely.
The moolis are quite large so if you're less greedy than Steph and I then you can opt for the mini versions or the salad box (I won't be sharing titbits on what these are like as my apetite is large as regular readers will know).
The moolis are around £5 each and for £1 more you can get either a side dish, a lassis or a fruit juice. We both had a lime and minty affair - which was refreshingly lovely and felt like a sin-free mojito.
I couldn't resist trying a mango kulfi afterwards, which are served on a stick like a creamy lolly. It wasn't that strong on mango flavour to be honest - but it didn't matter, there was enough creamy spiced yumminess to satisfy by sweet craving. It was the perfect finale to a very cheap (£8.50) and very satisfying lunch.
I can honestly say that after more than 6 years of working in London this is one of the best grab-and-go lunches I've had (with maybe the exception of The Japanese Canteen. Chicken Katsu Curry which has helped me survive many a work hangover).
It may have taken me two years to get here - but I will definitely be returning sooner rather than later and if this is Indian street food then get me to an Indian street, and fast.
http://www.moolis.com/