Dec 21, 2011

Spiced Salt-Roasted Prawns

If you can't find prawns, purchase the largest head-on shrimp available for this dish, which came to us from Vitaly Paley, the chef and co-owner of Paley's Place in Portland, Oregon. This recipe first appeared in the 2012 SAVEUR 100, with the article Paley's Place.

Credit: Todd Coleman

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

4 lb. Himalayan pink salt or coarse rock salt
⅓ cup whole star anise
¼ cup whole green cardamom pods
1 tbsp. whole cloves
8 bay leaves
4 sticks cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese
2 lb. head-on large prawns or shrimp, unpeeled (about 12)

Melted butter, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 500°. Combine salt, star anise, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon in a 9″ × 13″ baking dish; bake until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove dish from oven; using a large spoon, transfer half the salt mixture to a heatproof bowl. Place prawns over salt in baking dish; cover with salt from bowl. Return to oven; bake until prawns are cooked through, about 8 minutes. Discard salt; serve prawns with melted butter for dipping.