prawn and smoked salmon ring (Starters)

Member Name: georgiesue

Product:	Starters
Date:	28/12/08 (1130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to make and looks impressive

Disadvantages: none unless you dont like salmon and prawns

We love a prawn cocktail in our family and for as long as I can remember I have used the same recipe to make my homemade prawn cocktail passed down to me by my mum. In an attempt to make the humble prawn cocktail a bit more glamorous I have developed the following recipe for a fishy starter which is not only delicious but also looks really impressive and has the addition of smoked salmon meaning you can serve it at dinner parties and impress but its not really that expensive because the quantities of salmon and prawn you use are actually quite small. I call it "salmon and prawn rings".

The essential piece of equipment for serving the dish is a metal ring which looks a bit like a napkin ring only its wider and higher. You can buy them from any cookware shop, cant remember what I paid but they last you for ever and in terms of presentation of a dish they are great.

You need a pack of good smoked salmon. The amounts depend on how many you are catering for but for 4 persons you need a medium size pack which costs around £5. You then need a pack of medium sized prawns, not the really little ones because they are horrible but equally not king prawns as they are too big in terms of presentation. You also need some iceberg lettuce and some different coloured peppers and spring onions.

The most complicated bit is making the marie rose sauce and thats not hard. Take good quality mayonnaise and put about 5 heaped table spoons of it into a bowl. I have to say I dont measure things as I go on taste. To the mayo add a good squeeze of fresh lemon, a tablespoon of tomato puree and about a heaped tablespoon of tomato ketchup. Then add a shake of paprika, but not too much to start with as you need to taste and you dont want the sauce in any way to be spicy. Mix all of this together and you should have the light pink colour required. Taste the sauce. You are looking for a tangy sauce but not too tangy or cloying and there should be a fresh hint of lemon in the background. You need to experiment and if its too ketchuppy add more mayonnaise. If its a bit bland add more paprika. Ive always had lots of really positive comments on this sauce and its so easy and better than shop bought.

Next you need to make up the rings. Place a ring on the serving plate and in the botton place a thin, one slice layer of smoked salmon. Squeeze a very small amount of lemon onto the salmon. Then a thin layer of iceberg lettuce, then a layer of prawns and pour a little of the marie rose sauce over them then a layer of salmon and so on until you are at the top of the ring. You should have about two layers of prawns and salmon. Then chill the ring in the fridge and when you are ready to serve gently pull the ring up off the starter and it should keep its shape and look really attractive with all its layers. Garnesh the plate with sprinkles of finely chopped different coloured peppers and spring onion and a wedge of lemon.

The beauty of this starter is it can be made earlier on in the day so no work to do on the evening of your meal. Its really delicious and a light start to any meal. Its worth a try

Summary: Its never let me down