Rego’s Prawn Peri Peri

Chef Sidney enjoys teaching how to inject exotic flavors into traditional French cooking, and this passion for exotic flavors is nowhere more evident than in this recipe for prawn peri peri, which was inspired by his friend Rego. While doing his compulsory military service on the border of the sub-tropical Mozambique in the mid 1970s, Sidney met Rego, who was fleeing into South Africa in fear of his life, as were many ethnic Portuguese Mozambiquens. While sharing a beer or two, the new friends began to talk about food and Rego’s infectious enthusiasm for East African-Portugese cookery.

Rego’s Prawn Peri Peri

Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)
Cook time: 4 minutes
Cook method: Grill

Ingredients:

• 4.5 lbs of Black Tiger Prawns (since Black Tiger Prawns are mainly found on the East African and Australian Coast, regular prawns can be substituted)
• 200 ml (0.85 cups) extra virgin olive oil
• 10 birds eye chilies, deseeded and finely sliced (or substitute red chilies)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 limes zested and juiced
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• small bunch of parsley chopped
• 150 ml (0.63 cups) white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne

Instructions

1. If prawns are frozen, defrost in fridge, not under water. Remove heads and with a sharp knife cut down the back and devein. Remove legs.

2. In a bowl mix all marinade ingredients well. Store in a sealed container for at least 36 hours so the flavors infuse.

3. Once aged, remove a ¼ of the marinade, to use as a dipping sauce for cooked prawns, and return to fridge. Toss prawns in remainder of marinade and leave in fridge for a hour.

4. Fire up your BBQ.

5. Remove prawns from the marinade. Chef Sidney enjoys putting them on a skewer. (If you are using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 5 minutes first).

6. Place used marinade in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes and set aside for your barbecue.

7. Place prawns over the hot barbecue and cook about 2 minutes on each side; be careful to not overcook!

8. Once done, the prawn’s flesh should be firm but not hard, and the inside of the prawn should be opaque and not glassy.

By Peg Kern

Find more photos, videos, food facts, and travel stories from The International Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.

Sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes travel tips, recipes, promotions, and information on our best cooking vacations.