Prawn and Chorizo Salad

 Did you miss me!?

Sorry for being MIA lately. I've just finished the second round of legal profs exams. As long as I pass everything (touch wood), they'll let me wear an ugly wig in court, and have me admitted to the bar next year!

Strangely excited about the prospects of wearing a smelly grey wig.

And now with exams over, I can enjoy my summer. I'm ridiculously excited about summer. And having been spoilt with a gorgeously sunny Sunday at Toast Martinborough last weekend, it's starting to feel like it's finally here. 4 days and counting!

I'm looking forward to spending lazy days in the sun, iced tea, white wine, summer fishing, eating as much seafood as I can, reading again, good friends, freshly picked basil, and berry season!

Last weekend I had a sudden urge for squid and chorizo salad. I ran off to the supermarket, but alas, no squid to be found. Why is it that whenever you really want something, it's never there?

But they did have some rather tasty looking jumbo prawns. I threw together a simple salad, mostly using the flavour in the chorizo to flavour the prawns. You could easily do this with prawn cutlets too, I just love the mess of peeling jumbo prawns, and the finger licking goodness which inevitably follows.

Prawn and Chorizo Salad (as usual, serves 2)

1/4 red onion, sliced as finely as you possibly can
Small bunch of Italian parsley, roughly chopped
A couple of handfuls of rocket
2 chorizo sausages, sliced
Olive oil
200g jumbo prawns or prawn cutlets
Juice of 1 lemon

Start by making the base of the salad. Combine the red onion, Italian parsley and rocket in a big bowl.

Get a pan onto a medium high heat. Add a splash of olive oil, and fry the chorizo slices until they are golden and crispy all over.

Lift out of the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Now put the prawns into the pan. Using the leftover oil from the chorizo is where all the flavour is going to come from. Fry the prawns for 1-2 minutes on each side, until they go bright pink and slightly golden.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the prawns in the pan. Toss to get all the flavour off the bottom of the pan.

Add the chorizo back into the pan just to warm up again.

Put the chorizo and prawn mix into the bowl with the salad. There should be enough juices from the pan to form a dressing for the salad. Using your hands, gently turn everything over a few times in the bowl to combine.

Again, using your hands, serve out onto two plates.