Bob Hart's Prawns On The Barbie

PRAWNS are in pretty good supply this year, and the prices are better than they have been for years. You if you want to barbecue some, get some frozen Ausralian green king or tiger prawns � the larger the better,

Remove heads and peel, but leave tails in place. Marinate, briefly, in the zest, flesh and juice of a lemon to which you have added a splash of olive oil and a small, chopped chilli.

Wrap each prawn carefully in a strip of prosciutto, and then skewer them � three or four at a time � and make into rafts by lying them flat, parallel to each other, in groups of two or three, and using two well-soaked (in water) bamboo skewers for each group of prawns. This will make them easier to turn on the barbecue.

Prepared this way, the prawns should be cooked gently. Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking and add a few soaked mesquite chips to the charcoal. Cook in the middle of the grill. Cooking time will depend on the heat of your barbecue � if you can keep the heat down (100 C), you can cook the prawns for from 10-15 mins. But if it is hotter, you need cook them for only a few minutes a side. Great with a chilled riesling.

For a simpler price, simply skewer the prawns into rafts, three or four at a time, but leave the heads and shells in place, grill, and serve with a squeeze of lemon. And that glass of riesling.