Butter-Poached Prawns with Cauliflower Israeli Couscous

I saw this dish made on the Martha Stewart show by chef Maria Hines of the Seattle restaurant Tilth. It's always inspiring to me to see the work of female chefs, and the dish looked absolutely amazing, so I had to try it. She used spot prawns, a pretty trendy ingredient here on the west coast right now, and even incorporated the roe into the poaching liquid. I made it just using regular frozen prawns and thought they were delicious, so I can't even imagine how good it must be using fresh spot prawns and their roe.


Butter-Poached Prawns with Cauliflower Israeli Couscous
Adapted from recipe by Maria Hines
Yield: 4 servings
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Charmoula
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 cup packed mint leaves
1 tsp harissa or sambal
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Add parsley leaves to large pot of boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and pat dry.


2. Place parsley leaves into the jar of a blender along with the cilantro, mint, harissa, garlic, and lemon juice.


3. With the motor running, slowly add olive oil. Blend until ingredients are pureed.


4. Set aside.

Cauliflower Puree and Israeli Couscous
3 cups bite-size cauliflower florets
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil.


2. Add cauliflower florets and cook until tender but still crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.


3. Drain the florets but reserve the cooking liquid.


4. Place half the florets in the jar of a blender. With the motor running, add 1 cup of cooking liquid. Blend until the cauliflower is pureed and the consistency of thick gravy. Set aside.


5. Cook the Israeli couscous according to package directions. Set aside.


6. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.


7. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.


8. Add the remaining florets and cook until the edges begin to brown and caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes.


9. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.


10. Add parsley and chives.


11. Combine with cooked Israeli couscous. Set aside.

Prawns
20 prawns, peeled and deveined, roe reserved
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp butter

1. Place parsley, thyme, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie to enclose.


2. Place cream into a medium saucepan. Add herb sachet.


3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.


4. Remove sachet.


5. Add butter and whisk until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.


6. Add reserved roe and stir to combine.


7. Reduce heat to medium-low and add prawns. Cook just until flesh turns pink, about 4 minutes.


8. To serve, spoon cauliflower puree into the center of each plate. Spoon charmoula around the cauliflower puree. Spoon couscous mixture on top of puree. Top with the prawn. Spoon some of the poaching liquid over the prawns. Garnish with cilantro, parsley, mint, and chives.