This Scarlet Prawn Is the Best Seafood You Can Eat
There are two kinds of cook. Some depend on technique, relying on the alchemy of the kitchen to transform ingredients into strange new forms. These are the classic cooks-think Julia Child-who believe that with sufficient training anyone can make a masterpiece out of ordinary ingredients.
Other chefs, however, believe that great cooking depends on nothing more than great ingredients. This is the slow food crowd, artists of the earth whose goal is to treat these treasures with the utmost respect, preserving their purity by serving them in the simplest possible fashion.
Chefs in the second category spend their time seeking out the most talented farmers, fishermen, and artisans, but as American food has steadily improved, the chefs who rely on great products have been forced to work harder to surprise us. In their search for enticing new delicacies, culinary explorers are now traveling the world.
Enter the scarlet prawn, which is known as crevette impériale in France and carabineros in Spain and lives in the deepest parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The first time I saw these gigantic red beauties, I was stunned. They were laid out on ice, gleaming like rubies. On the menu it said “market price,” which in my experience translates to “You can’t afford it.” I gulped when the waiter whispered the cost. And then I ordered one.
It was shocking. I stared at that enormous carapace, wondering how to deal with it. And then I did the only sensible thing: I picked the shell up in my fingers, put my mouth to the head, and inhaled. Out came a dizzying rush of flavor. I thought it was the sexiest thing I’d ever tasted-simultaneously sweet, saline, and rich. I lingered over it, savoring the experience. I was in love.
Over time I discovered more restaurants that serve scarlet prawns. The new Four Seasons, for example, will serve you a pair wrapped in lardo and grilled for a mere $56. Estiatorio Milos will happily cook you as many as you like-if you’re willing to spend $119 a pound.
For those on a more modest budget, Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles serves one giant prawn riding atop a pile of pasta; when you twist off the head it releases an instant and very sultry sauce.
But can you settle for a single prawn? I certainly can’t. Greedy for more, It racked down the supplier-Browne Trading Company of Portland, Maine-and now I happily serve them on every special occasion.
I have never found a more spectacular way to impress dinner guests. Or an easier one. The prawns are extremely versatile:you can poach them, grill them, or just put them in the oven for a few minutes.No matter what you do, they cling to their color, emerging from the heat still vibrant and bright. And no matter how they’re cooked, these creatures turn every meal into the messiest, most delicious kind of fun.
No alchemy. No magic. Simply the most exquisite shrimp you’ve ever tasted.Just be sure to provide plenty of napkins.
This story appears in the February 2019 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE
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