Simple Salt Roasted Spot Prawns
December 13th, 2021A Laidback Meal with a Grand Reveal
Our recipe for salt roasted spot prawns is by far one of the easiest spot prawn recipes you can have in your wild-caught repertoire, whether you’re new to this delicious species of crustaceans or a seasoned seafood pro. The basic premise is that you'll be roasting your spot prawns in the oven while they're tucked into a bed of salt, so it's also an incredibly fun dish to enjoy — because who doesn't love a grand reveal? All you need is a few cups of salt and a little bit of time for expertly cooked spot prawns, every time.
Salt roasting or salt baking is a simple, elemental cooking technique that effortlessly produces juicy, perfectly seasoned spot prawns. Trust culinary tradition on this one: Roasting the spot prawns in salt will not make them too salty.
As they roast, the spot prawn meat stays tender and springy. It’s a hands-off way to cook them, and nearly all the recipe’s prep time is dedicated to preheating the oven and the salt, making this cooking method as chill as a sea breeze. The only adjustments you'll need to make are for cook time, depending on the size of your spot prawns, as wild-caught spot prawns can be anywhere between thumb-sized to palm-sized.
For a single 8-ounce pack of spot prawns, you’ll need about 3 to 4 cups of salt, depending on the size of your dish, and it’s critical that you use a coarse salt. Coarse kosher salt or rock salt are both good options. Fine salt will leave your spot prawns too salty.
Note that you won’t really be able to reuse the salt for cooking, as it absorbs the aroma and excess moisture from the spot prawns as they roast, but if you’re planning to bake spot prawns again the next day, then go ahead and use the salt once more. After that, discard it.
Simple Salt Roasted Spot Prawns
By Wild Alaskan Company
Try serving salt roasted spot prawns with cocktail sauce, clarified butter, or a garlic aioli.
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook Time
8 minutes
Total time
38 minutes
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups coarse salt (kosher, sea, or rock salt)
- 1 (8-ounce) pack Spot Prawns
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Meanwhile, use this time to prep your spot prawns. With a pair of kitchen shears, cut a slit from head to tail along the back of the spot prawn, leaving the shells on. If desired, remove roe and reserve for another use.
2. Divide salt evenly between two separate pans, then place in preheated oven. Set timer for 15 minutes to allow salt to heat up.
3. Once timer goes off, arrange spot prawns in one pan, leaving some space in between for salt to fill in — don’t crowd them. Then, pour salt from other pan over the spot prawns to cover fully. Place this pan back into the oven then cook for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the size of prawns. Thumb-sized prawns will need only about 4 minutes, while palm-sized prawns will need the full 6 minutes to cook through.
4. Use tongs to remove spot prawns from dish, then rinse in a bowl of very warm water to remove residual salt. Shake off excess water, then serve hot, warm, or chilled with your favorite sauce.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
