a taste of the tropics

cold, wet and grey weather always makes me wish for warmer climes. Sadly, i’ve no exotic trips planned so adding some heat to my cooking, through spices, is about as much as i can manage.

lime always feels exotic – memories of prawns sprinkled with lime juice, eaten at a beach restaurant on Isla Mujeres in Mexico spring to mind – and these prawns were the perfect counter to a damp london evening.

spiced prawns with lime (serves 2 as a starter or snack)

200g large uncooked, peeled and deveined prawns

juice of half a lime

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1” piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and grated

a pinch of salt

50g flour

oil to shallow fry the prawns

lime wedges to serve

marinade the prawns with the lime, spices, chilli, ginger, garlic and salt. when you are ready to eat, add the flour to the marinading prawns and mix well. heat the oil and fry the prawns over a medium heat until the batter is crisp. drain the prawns on kitchen paper and serve with lime wedges.