A symphony of spice, citrus and flame, this dish from Chiswick’s Head Chef Samuel Rozsnyoi is an elegant ode to summer dining.

Plump prawns are butterflied and grilled until their shells turn crisp, then bathed in a richly aromatic curry butter infused over hours. Segments of pomelo, steeped in verjus, bring brightness and lift, while fried curry leaves add a final touch of fragrance. It’s a recipe that speaks to balance – bold yet refined, decadent yet light – and is best shared over a long lunch with wine in hand.

Ingredients

(Serves 4, as an entrée)

Curry butter:

500g salted butter

20g ground cumin

20g ground cardamom

10g ground turmeric

15g ground coriander seed

10g smoked paprika

1 cinnamon stick

2 limes, juiced

50g brown sugar

20ml sherry vinegar

50ml soy sauce

Other ingredients:

1 pomelo, broken down into segments

Dash of verjus

8 large raw prawns (QLD Banana prawns are great for this dish)

1 lime, cut into wedges

50g curry leaf

Method

Step 1: To make the butter, add all of the ingredients to a pot and melt on a low simmer. Leave for 3 hours to infuse before transferring to the fridge.

Step 2: The next day, remove the butter from fridge and bring to room temp. Whip with a whisk attachment for a minute or so.

Step 3: Flake the pomelo segments into a container with verjus; the longer it sits in the verjus, the better.

Step 4: Using a sharp knife, butterfly and devein the prawns. Make sure to split the head so that the whole body is fanned out. Tip: keep the roe in-tact - that is flavour.

Step 5: Grill the prawns flesh side down in a pan. Add generous amount of curry butter and baste until the prawns are cooked, and the shells are crisp.

Step 6: Fry the curry leaves in hot oil (watch out, as they will start to pop and spit hot oil everywhere). Once they have changed colour and started to curl (around 10 seconds), transfer to a plate with paper towel to drain.

Step 7: Assemble your prawns flesh side up on a plate. Pour over the residual butter from the pan (if there’s not much left, melt some more). Arrange the flaked pomelo on top, and garnish with the curry leaf and wedges of lime.