A spectacular dish of fresh prawns marinated in orange and flambè with Armagnac, perfect for a candlelit romantic dinner!
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Valentine’s Day is upon us and this week I decided to prepare a dish that looks difficult but isn’t, and which in addition, is perfect for a romantic dinner for 2.
These sautéed prawns and Armagnac flambé are the fresh, fast and appetizing seafood recipe. With this recipe, you will create an elegant and refined menu, but at the same time light and fast, suitable for a special occasion. In addition, prawns are said to be among the foods that possess what is termed “aphrodisiac power”.
What better time to test this delicacy?
This chic dish will amaze you with its simplicity of preparation and will be a great success on the table!
How to create a Flambé effect
Even if the name can immediately make non-cooking experts panic, after reading this recipe you will be looking forward to getting in the kitchen.
The flambè consists in creating, with the help of alcohol, the classic flame which, in addition to being of great scenographic effect, helps to give flavor to the crustacean.
So, face the flambé without fear: only the aroma of the liqueur will remain, the alcohol will quickly vanish, leaving the prawns flambéed at … fragrant and appetizing.
To make an excellent Flambè you will need a lighter or a long match and a dose of very alcoholic liqueur.
For this recipe I used Armagnac, but whiskey or bourbon are also valid alternatives and even a good brandy. The important thing is that it is a liqueur with high alcohol content.
5 tricks to get your Flambè Prawns
The trick to obtaining a flambé effect that leaves you speechless can be summed up in 5 small precautions.
After cooking the prawns one minute per side, follow these rules:
– Turn off the stove;
– Pour the chosen liqueur over the entire surface of the prawns;
– Tilt the pan slightly to get the juice concentrated on one side;
– Bring the flame of the lighter or match closer to the liquid;
– Rotate the pan to flame all the prawns and wait for the fire to go out by itself after a few moments.
How to choose Prawns
Selecting the perfect prawns to make this flambé prawn recipe is very important.
For the perfect success of the recipe, I choose very large and juicy fresh prawns, but with some care, you can also use frozen prawns.
Here’s how to recognize when prawns are fresh and when not.
First, the armor must be hard and shiny in appearance. Conversely, if the prawn is slimy and it breaks as soon as it is touched, then it is not fresh. Secondly, if the prawn has black spots it means it is not fresh. Just as if it has yellow parts on its tail or legs, it means that too much sodium bisulfate has been used. Avoid them!
Take care, if you choose to use frozen prawns, you need to thaw them completely before starting the preparation. Then rinse them under cold water and then dry them to remove all traces of preservative.
Small Tips & Suggestions
The prawns cooking time is very fast: a few minutes are enough, otherwise, you risk making the pulp stringy.
Do not remove the shells before cooking. In this way, the pulp retains all its consistency.
To complete the dish with even more aroma and a touch of color, sprinkle the ready prawns with bitter cocoa as I did, you will be surprised by the release of taste.
Flambè Prawns
A spectacular dish of fresh prawns marinated in orange and flambè with Armagnac, perfect for a candlelit romantic dinner!
Ingredients
- 8 king prawns
- 10 g butter
- 1 orange
- 20 ml Armagnac
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the prawns. Remove the black gut without detaching the tail.
- Squeeze the orange and leave the prawns to marinate in the juice for at least 15 minutes.
- Take a large pan and put it on the stove with the butter.
- As soon as the butter is melted, pour the prawns with the orange juice and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
- Flip the prawns to the other side and cook for 1 minute more.
- Season with salt. At this point, the orange juice should have dried.
- Turn off the stove, pour the Armagnac over all the prawns.
- Tilt the pan to one side and with a lighter or match, ignite the alcohol.
- As the flambé runs, rotate the pan in a circular direction to let all the alcohol evaporate. The flambè effect lasts about 15-20 seconds.
- As soon as the flame goes out, sprinkle with bitter cocoa powder (if you wish, also add fresh chopped parsley).
- Serve the prawns while they are still hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 289mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g
Nutrition Data is automatically calculated and may be not accurate.
What to pair with Flambè Prawns
Flambè Prawns have a delicate and strong taste at the same time. Consequently, the choice of the side dish should not be underestimated.
Good combinations could be with these recipes:
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Ive never seen this dish but when I saw sprinkle some bitter cocoa I was like this has to be so good.
I had no idea these were called prawns, i always taught they were called crayfish. But nice recipe. I would pair them with my cassava sweet 🍠mash.
These are so cool! Next time I have fresh prawns I am totally doing this, thanks for the tips!
What a show-stopper of a dish! Thanks for sharing!
How delicious! I love that you cook the orange with the prawns, that really boost the flavor. This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
So fancy but still sounds completely do-able. This would be the perfect dish for Valentine’s Day next weekend!
this recipe calls for less ingredients but it looks so good. will try it out
This would be an awesome dish for a intimate Valentine dinner and something fun to try with your partner!! My hubby would love this!
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
wonderful idea for a special occasion especially nowadays with reduced options to go out. Thanks for sharing.