Quick Starter - Prawns & Dodo

Truth be told, I do sometimes resent having to labour over the stove for guests, especially those ones that did not give you enough notice that they are come...and as always, they want to be treated to your usual signature dishes...!

So I keep coming up with loads of different food ideas which can rescue me from this sorts of sticky situations.

The recipe I am sharing today is one of them. Very simple and straight forward dish with little effort, and requires no elaborate ingredients.

I have now grown to love my fish mongers at the Ozumba Mbadiwe Victoria Island (under the bridge) fish market in Lagos. The size of the prawns I get from there is huge, I mean, really huge. Still, they come in different sizes, and I kid you not, when cooked and curled up, some of the prawns can be as big as the circle you make with your index finger and your thumb...!

So this my quick starter, prawns and dodo dish, when served with some wine, cocktails, mock-tails or just a delicious blend of fruit juices, is really satisfying. Serving with some fruit salad or a nice crisp salad, you will be absolutely fully satisfied,,,,no you wont need anything else but to put the movies on, of just commence our "gisting" spree...!

It tastes delicious every time, not requiring too much condiments to bring out the tastes. It just needs careful preparation to ensure the prawns and plantain have the right texture, and careful plating to create that wow factor for your guests. Excellent served as a starter, canapes, finger foods or even as a light meal.

What you need

• Ripe plantains
• Large fresh prawns (the larger the better really)
• Chopped chives for garnish
• Pre-cooked spicy ata dindin (dip) - get my premium ata din din recipe here

What to do

1. Cut the plantains into shards and deep fry until cooked through. Set aside.
2. In order to keep the texture of prawns plump and juicy, I have a trick that I use. I shell them de-vein them and allow them to soak in some water with added baking soda, for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
3. The prawns are pan fried in a shallow pan for about two minutes on each side. 
4. Then dip the pan fried prawns into the pre-cooked ata dindin for another 5 minutes or so, or until it is served. Then on a mini platter, serve the prawns and dodo attaching them to each other with a toothpick. 
5. Serve with some additional ata dindin (dip)