On a path less travelled, down the winding roads to the gateway of the Sapphire Coast, lies Narooma. It's one of the South Coast's best kept secrets, a serene scene-scape of turquoise inlets and scrubby greenery. In addition to being the access point to Montague Island, Narooma is now also the home to The Whale, a modern boutique wellness retreat with a retro soul.
The Whale is a holistic escape with accommodation, wellness facilities, and a restaurant led by executive chef Clayton Wells. Wells is known for his zingy and innovative takes on crowd pleasers, and at The Whale, he brings a produce-led approach with a menu that includes retro Australiana favourites.
Wells has shared with us his recipe for the ultimate fried prawn sandwich, a dish that speaks to long summer days spent poolside. This is definitely one to add to your bookmarks folder.
Fried prawn sandwich, shaved cabbage, curry mayonnaise
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 8x slices extra-thick cut soft white bread
- 4x prawn patties, see below
- 250ml neutral oil for shallow frying
- 90g starch mix, see below
- sea salt
- 200g cabbage & coriander slaw, see below
- 100g curry mayonnaise, see below
Method
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy based frypan and bring slowly to 180C.
- Carefully place each dusted prawn patty into the oil and fry for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Repeat the process until all four patties are fried. Season the patties lightly with sea salt.
- Lay out 4 slices of bread onto a cutting board or tray and equally distribute the cabbage slaw.
- Place each of the prawn patties on top of the slaw and then spread an even layer of curry mayonnaise on the remaining 4 pieces of bread and top the sandwich.
- Using a serrated bread knife, cut the crusts off each sandwich, wiping the knife after each cut. Once all 4 sides are trimmed, cut each sandwich into 3 equal pieces. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
Curry Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 200g whole-egg mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 ½ tsp Keen’s curry powder
- ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
- ½ lemon, squeezed
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk well. Check for seasoning and
adjust.
Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
- 100g white cabbage, finely shredded
- 100g red cabbage, finely shredded
- ¼ bunch coriander, leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp Curry Mayonnaise, or more
Combine all ingredients just before building sandwiches
Prawn patty
Ingredients
- 600g green banana prawn meat
- 2 eggs, whites only
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp rice flour (for batter)
- 30g rice flour (for starch mix)
- 30g tapioca starch (for starch mix)
- 30g potato starch (for starch mix)
Method
- mix all components of starch together
- take 400g of the peeled prawn meat and add to a food processor with the sea salt.
- blend the prawn meat until it is broken down and then slowly add in the egg whites, and blend until it is all combined and starts to aerate.
- add the rice flour and blend until combined.
- remove the prawn mousse from the food processor and transfer to a bowl.
- chop the remaining 200g prawn meat into 10mm pieces and mix with the prawn mousse.
- line a tray with greaseproof paper and dust the tray with 1/3 of the starch mix.
- separate the prawn mix into 4 equal amounts and shape into square shape the same size as the bread slices. Dust the squares with more of the starch mix and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to set.
