This is such a fun recipe and totally delicious which is great to serve friends at a party as an alternative to hot dogs. Make sure you get the biggest prawns you can find, remove the heads and shell leaving the tail on (they look good poking out of the bun).

Remember, you can keep the heads and shells to make a fish stock if you want to. The dry rub coating adds a gorgeous spicy dimension to the prawns, if you want to ramp up the heat then be more generous with the crushed chillies.

We know that pre-made BBQ sauce packed full of sugar tastes really delicious, but for those of us that don’t want to consume vast quantities of refined sugar it’s good to have a healthier alternative that doesn’t lack in taste. So I have experimented with various recipes and here is one that I am pretty happy with and it works well poured on most barbecued food.

I like to serve these spicy prawn dogs with chargrilled padron peppers that are very popular in the Balearics. I like to leave a bottle of homemade BBQ sauce so guests can help themselves – when I explain that it is actually healthy it always even more of a crowd pleaser.

Spicy chargrilled prawns served inside fluffy rolls with lashings of caper berry mayonnaise and home made BBQ sauce is a sure fire winner every time! Make sure to have the napkins at the ready!

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

8 white finger rolls
6-8 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
Handful of caper berries (or regular capers)
24 raw extra large prawns
250g padron peppers
Sea salt flakes

Dry Rub for the prawns

2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsp ground onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
good pinch chilli flakes
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
fresh ground pepper

Homemade BBQ sauce recipe

3 shallots very finely diced
300ml passata
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 gloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp agave syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbp soy sauce (salt reduced)
1 tbsp English mustard
A pinch of sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp red chilli flakes (optional if you want a little spice)

Method

1. Firstly prepare the prawns by removing the heads and shell but keep the tip of the tail on. Run a knife along the back of the prawn to remove the waste line (the dark thread). Place all the dry rub ingredients into a bowl and add the prawns and mix around to evenly coat them. They can be left in the fridge for 24 hours if you want to prepare in advance.
2. Next make the BBQ sauce. Add a little oil to a pan and add the shallots and cook on a low heat for about 6 minutes until softened but not brown. Add the crushed garlic and stir for a further minute.
2. Now add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. You can either use it like it is if you like a chunkier BBQ sauce but I prefer to blend it for a smoother sauce. Allow to cool and pour into a clean jar and this will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
4. To make the caper mayonnaise simply finely chop the capers and add to the mayonnaise, mix well and place into a jar.
5. Place the padron peppers and the prawns onto a scorching hot BBQ (or griddle pan) and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, ensuring they are cooked through. I like to put the rolls onto the bbq for a minute or two to crisp the bottoms up. Place 3 prawns into each roll, spread with a caper mayonnaise and a good dollop of BBQ sauce and a side dish of padron peppers. Your friends will think you absolutely rock.