Nathan Outlaw's Everyday Seafood recipes: From prawn noodle soup to prawn cocktail quiche

Prawns should not be confined to only being served as a 70s style cocktail. Try one of Nathan Outlaw's recipes for a fresh take on the favourite crustacean

Prawn, chilli and potato salad

Potatoes, chilli and prawns sit so well together in this effortless, comforting salad. I like to eat it, just as it is, but you could serve it as a side salad if you like. I have also made it with crab, lobster and scallops – all work brilliantly. I make it quite spicy, so if you don’t like the heat, you might want to cut down on the chilli. It is really versatile and can be served hot, warm or cold. I love it!

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

600g large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
​400g small new potatoes
Sunflower oil for cooking
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
2 tbsp finely sliced coriander, plus extra leaves to serve
1 tbsp finely sliced mint, plus extra leaves to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

Sunflower oil for cooking
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, halved (germ removed) and chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
4 ripe tomatoes, core removed, deseeded and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First make the sauce. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of sunflower oil. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic, chillies and spices and fry for 3–4 minutes until the mixture begins to colour. Add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 6–8 minutes until they begin to collapse.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and blend until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. Pass through a sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool. Add the prawns to the cooled sauce and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes, longer if you have the time.

To cook the new potatoes, put them into a pan, cover with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes until they are cooked. Drain thoroughly and leave to cool slightly while you cook the prawns.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Remove the prawns from the sauce with a slotted spoon, keeping the sauce. Add a drizzle of oil to the hot pan, then carefully add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, then take off the heat. Stir in the spring onions, coriander and mint. Now add the potatoes (or combine in a bowl if your pan is too small). Season the prawn salad with salt and pepper to taste and toss well.

Serve the salad scatted with extra coriander and mint leaves, either on its own, or with a green salad if you prefer.

Prawn noodle soup

One of the best memories I have of Singapore is the food markets and stalls. I love the fact that you can sit in the market and try all the different foods that are on offer. The prawn noodle soup I tasted there was something else. I wasn’t quite sure how they made it, but after a few trials I think this is pretty close... it tastes good anyway.

Serves 4 as a starter

For the stock

500g raw Atlantic prawns in shell, plus extra shells and heads (see below)
A generous drizzle of sunflower oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 litre water

For the soup

1 tbsp sunflower oil
​200g piece of smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
4 spring onions, trimmed, white and green parts separated and sliced
2 red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
5 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp white wine
​300g rice noodles
16 raw tiger prawns, shelled and deveined (keep shells and heads for stock)
2 pak choi, sliced into strips
70g bean sprouts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the prawn stock, heat the oil in a sauté pan, then add the garlic and cook until golden. Add the prawns (plus the extra shells and heads from the shelled prawns for the soup) and cook until they turn orangey red all over. Crush the prawns with the back of a spoon, then add the water and bring to the boil. Add a good pinch of salt and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and set aside.

To make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot, add the bacon, white spring onions, chillies and garlic. Sweat for 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Now pour in the prawn stock, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip the rice noodles into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add the prawns and pak choi and cook for a further 2 minutes until they turn orangey red. Finally, add the green spring onions and bean sprouts. To serve, ladle the soup into 4 warmed bowls, dividing the noodles, beansprouts, pak choi and prawns evenly. Serve at once.

Prawn cocktail quiche

I love a good prawn cocktail, who doesn’t? This picnic quiche is a little nod to the 70s classic. It has the same flavours but no limp lettuce or tasteless tomato. You can make a big one if you wish, or little canapé sized ones as I sometimes do; just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Prawn cocktail will never be the same again!

Serves 6 as a starter

For the pastry

250g plain flour
​150g unsalted butter, diced
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 medium egg, beaten
3 tbsp milk
Egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tbsp milk)

For the filling

15 raw tiger prawns, peeled, deveined and halved
3 medium eggs
​300ml double cream
​50ml good quality tomato ketchup, ideally homemade
½ tsp Tabasco
5 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
50g Parmesan, freshly grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the pastry, put the flour, butter, salt and rosemary into a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and milk and pulse briefly until the dough comes together. Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 175°C/Gas 5.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use to line a loose-based rectangular flan tin, about 25 x 10cm and 3cm deep, or an 18cm round flan tin, 3cm deep. Line the pastry case with a sheet of greaseproof paper and add a layer of baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake the pastry case for 15 minutes, then lift out the paper and beans and brush the pastry with egg wash. Return to the oven for 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. Turn the oven down to 160°C/Fan 145°C/ Gas 3.

For the filling, lightly beat the eggs, cream, tomato ketchup and Tabasco together and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the spring onions and cherry tomatoes in the pastry case, followed by the prawns, distributing them evenly. Pour on the egg and cream mixture, then sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the custard is set and the pastry is golden. Leave the quiche in the tin on a wire rack to cool a little before slicing. Either eat warm or leave it to cool completely and take to the beach or park.

Everyday Seafood by Nathan Outlaw (Quadrille, £20) photography © David Loftus