Shellfish Crustaceans Recipes

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 35 minutes

• 16 medium sized green prawns
• 3 tblsp rice vinegar
• 1 tblsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups cooked sushi rice
• 2 sheets nori
• 2 tsp prepared wasabi
• 2 & 1/2 cups of uncooked sushi rice
• 3 cups water
• 10cm piece of konbu (dried kelp)
• Seasoned vinegar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 & 1/2 tblsp sugar
• 2 & 1/3 tsp salt

• Rinse rice in water, two or three times until water is almost clear. Combine rinsed rice, water and konbu in a pot with a heavy base and tight fitting lid and let sit for 30 minutes. Cover the pot and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
• Put the ingredients for vinegar mixture into a pot and heat over low flame, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove konbu from cooked rice; Mix vinegar and rice. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
• De-vein prawns and remove heads. Run a bamboo skewer through the abdomen up to the tail. Cook in lightly vinegared boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and cool
• Remove skewer and remove shell and tail gently to keep prawn intact. Make a slit down prawn on the abdomen side and gently spread apart but keeping the two parts connected. Sprinkle with sugar, vinegar and salt and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Line an 18cm cake tin with plastic wrap, leaving a little hanging over the side. Place prawns, abdomen side up, in a sunburst pattern. Smear a dab of wasabi on each prawn.
• Evenly spread 2 cups of sushi rice over prawns, press down firmly and cover with nori that has been cut to size. Spread the remaining rice evenly over nori. Cover with plastic wrap and press down firmly. Turn the rice cake over onto a platter, remove plastic wrap and cut into wedges.
• Serve with soy, wasabi and pickled ginger.