It’s only fair to match one icon with another. Here’s my take on the iconic New England-style lobster roll, made with premium poached King prawns (still luxurious, but not priced out of the ball park), as a pairing for Alvi’s Drift Albertus Viljoen Chenin Blanc 2023 from their Icon Range. This wine is an example of the best of their harvest, fermented in barrels to produce an outstanding, complex and full-bodied wine.
These King prawn rolls are made with the best quality prawns I could find, gently poached for a minute or two, then smothered in a creamy mayonnaise mixture, with added lemon juice and rind, chives, pickled gherkin, chopped celery for crunch and a gentle seasoning of salt & pepper. The texture and sweetness of the prawns should really shine through. I use soft hotdog rolls that are trimmed on the sides, buttered and pan-fried, for that extra luxurious buttery toasted flavour.
Paired with this phenomenal Chenin Blanc this pairing is as good as it gets for me! Not too formal, yet refined enough for an elevated feast.
Ingredients: (serves 4-6 as a light meal)
1 kg best quality King prawns (or 500 g prawn tail meat)
water, for poaching
iced water, for cooling
½ cup best quality creamy mayonnaise
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped chives, plus extra for garnish
1 small gherkin, finely grated
finely grated zest of half a lemon
10 ml lemon juice
salt & pepper, to taste
6 large or 8 medium hotdog rolls
butter, for spreading
Method:
After thawing the prawns properly (they are mostly sold frozen in SA), remove the heads and remove the shells from the tails. If the prawns have not been cleaned already, remove the digestive tract. Bring a wine pot of water to a simmer, then poach the prawn tails gently for a minute or two – no longer. Immediately transfer to iced water to stop the cooking process, then drain through a colander. Chop roughly and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, celery, chives, gherkin, lemon zest & juice. Add the chopped prawn meat, season with salt & pepper, then mix well – you want the mixture to just coat the prawn meat, it shouldn’t be too heavy. Set aside.
Trim the sides of the rolls and make a slit through the top from end to end (not all the way through). Spread the cut sides with butter, then toast in a medium hot pan until golden. Immediately fill the buns generously with the filling. Sprinkle with chives and serve at once while the buns are still slightly warm.
(This recipe was created in proud collaboration with Alvi’s Drift Wines.)
