>Editor's note:The recipe below is from Govind Armstrong'sSmall Bites, Big Nightsand is part of a special menu he created for Epicurious'sWine.Dine.Donateprogram.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Step 1
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and at the first sight of smoke, carefully add the prawns. Sear the prawns on one side for 30 seconds. Turn the prawns, add the smashed garlic cloves, and sauté until golden. With no fear, add the Pernod and flame off all the alcohol; this will happen very quickly. Add the fish stock and reduce to half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and lemon zest, and turn off the heat. Swirl the pan until all the butter is incorporated into a sauce.
Step 2
Finish the sauce with a squeeze of the lemon, a few flecks of crushed red chili, and sea salt and pepper. Toss in the tomatoes at the last moment, and garnish with a few chopped fennel fronds, if using. Serve immediately.
If you are unable to find Pernod, you may substitute a close anisette cousin, Ricard.
Does licorice remind you too much of Grandma's bowl of stale candy? If you don't want to impart any anise flavor, just stick with regular white wine or dry vermouth.
You can substitute any North American saltwater shrimp for the Santa Barbara spot prawns.
To blanch and peel tomatoes, first cut an X in the end opposite the stem, then immerse in boiling water 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water, then peel.
How would you rate Santa Barbara Spot Prawns in Pernod?
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopI've made this often over the years. If you want it to be extra flavorful or do not have fish stock you can leave the shrimp shells and heads on when you sear. The Pernod extracts the shrimp flavor from the shells perfectly. I also sear and flame the shells alone and strain into peeled shrimp. Occasionally, I add extra butter to the sauce and serve it over linguine with fresh spinach.
susanannlopez
Saint Laurent du Var, France
3/31/2018
As a pro chef, I would like to rate it 10 forks! It is the best fast food possible. What flavor! I used 16-20 shrimp and DON'T omit the tomatoes... they add just a hint of acid to balance the richness of the dish, and a nice color to the plate. I served this with roasted asparagus and sauteed oyster mushrooms. The total plate was incredible. It was 10 mins to peel toms and 5 mins to fix dish.. that's fast!
blakdogz
Shenandoah Valley
2/16/2012
Wow! I used white wine (Pinot Grigio) instead of pernod, didn't use any stock, only 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 clove garlic.Served w/pasta that I swirled in pan to pick up extra sauces. The chili pieces gave it a nice zip. Yummy!
provencenw
Seattle, WA
6/13/2011
I tried this recipe for the "with no fear" blurb alone! LOL! It's easily one of the tastiest shrimp dishes I have ever made to date. Do yourself a favor and try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
PacoBell
San Luis Obispo, CA
8/20/2010
This is my husbands new favorite dish that he prepares as an appetizer. A real crowd pleaser that always gets rave reviews. He too leaves out the tomatoes (personal choice).
foodelicious
Ottawa, Canada
4/4/2010
I substituted dry pale sherry for the pernod (not fond of anise flavors) and made it without the cherry tomatoes (didn't have any) but in the end it was delicious.
ninahaft
oakland, CA
12/31/2009
I also chopped large tomatoes instead of whole cherry tomatoes and added heavy cream at the end and served over pasta. Really good!
Anonymous
St.Maarten
7/31/2009
swirl a little heavy cream in the sauce at the end. Yummy
Anonymous
Bangkok
7/31/2009
I don't what happened with this recipe, but it just wasn't very good. I followed the recipe exactly and while the prawns were good the sauce just didn't have much flavor or really any flavor. It was a waste of good prawns.
Anonymous
Ferndale, WA
2/17/2008
Excellent excellent excellent. We loved the taste. We printed the recipe, made it and 15 minutes later we were eating it. The best fast food that I've ever had!
Anonymous
east cowes, isle of wight england
7/25/2007
