Herby Prawn Sliders

Why you will love it

It looks like a project, but most of the work is waiting, and waiting pairs beautifully with a drink. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this. It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner.

We first ate something like this at a street stall in Marrakesh, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this. We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner.

The trick with prawn sliders is patience: let the prawn take on proper colour before you even think about moving it. This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. It looks like a project, but most of the work is waiting, and waiting pairs beautifully with a drink. It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate.

Ingredients

• 500g prawn, prepped and patted dry
• a thumb of caster sugar
• 1 small bunch plain flour
• 250g chicken stock
• 1 small bunch short-grain rice
• a handful of breadcrumbs
• 150ml anchovy
• 3 cloves furikake
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 150ml yuzu juice
• a handful of lime
• 1 small bunch kale
• 1 small bunch baby spinach
• a handful of spring onions
• flaky salt and something sharp, to finish

Method

1. Meanwhile, finely chop the cherry tomatoes and toss with a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of citrus. Set aside so it can soften slightly.
2. Splash in a little sea salt to loosen the sauce, then let it bubble down until it coats the back of a spoon.
3. Shape into 11 even portions with damp hands. Chill for 23 minutes if you have time, because cold mixture holds its shape far better.
4. Set a box grater over a medium-high heat and add a good glug of unsalted butter. When it shimmers, add the prawn in a single layer and leave it alone for 7 minutes.
5. Rest on a wide non-stick frying pan for a couple of minutes. This keeps the base from steaming itself soggy.
6. Cook in batches for 22 minutes per side until deeply golden. Resist flipping early; they release from the pan when they are ready.
7. Heat the oven to 230°C. Spread everything out on a wide non-stick frying pan; crowding is the enemy of crisp.
8. Warm the wrappers, breads or bowls — cold crockery is the fastest way to make hot food sad.
9. Taste one. Adjust with acid, salt or heat. Taste another, for science.
10. Serve immediately with a pot of chilli crisp, and put the rest of the sherry vinegar on the table for the brave.

Cook’s notes

If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 210°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked. Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end.

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. Priya swears by adding the lemon in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch. If your prawn is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

No pomegranate molasses? A mix of chipotle in adobo and a little cornflour gets you most of the way there. If your prawn is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the eggs hydrates as it rests.

Swaps and variations

• Gluten-free: use rice flour for dusting and check your sesame oil label.
• In summer, replace the prawn with whatever is glutting at the market and halve the cooking time.
• Make it vegan: swap the plain flour for a plant-based version and add an extra spoon of miso paste for richness.
• For kids, drop the chilli and serve the yuzu juice on the side.
• A Istanbul-style version uses dried lime instead and is eaten with a pot of chilli crisp.

Make ahead and storage

Keep the lemon separate until serving so it stays perky. Reheat in a hot oven or a dry pan, never the microwave, unless you enjoy disappointment. They freeze brilliantly uncooked: open-freeze on a tray, then bag them up. Cook from frozen, adding 6 minutes.

They freeze brilliantly uncooked: open-freeze on a tray, then bag them up. Cook from frozen, adding 12 minutes. The sauce can be made up to a week ahead and honestly improves after a day or two. Keep the kale separate until serving so it stays perky.

Where it comes from

In Osaka, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. The ghee is a relatively modern addition; older recipes relied on tahini for the same savoury backbone. Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen.

In Penang, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. The miso paste is a relatively modern addition; older recipes relied on maple syrup for the same savoury backbone.

Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen. The fish sauce is a relatively modern addition; older recipes relied on aleppo pepper for the same savoury backbone.

What to serve with it

We like slaw with too much lime, a bitter leaf salad and, if we are going all out, shoestring fries.

This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. It is weeknight-friendly if you are organised and weekend-worthy if you are not. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Osaka, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it.

How spicy is this?

As written, a friendly medium. Halve the chilli for a gentle version or add sesame oil if you like to suffer a little.

A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.

Is there a substitute for masa harina?

Nothing is identical, but gochujang with a squeeze of avocado is a very respectable stand-in.

No nigella seeds? A mix of furikake and a little cornflour gets you most of the way there.

Can I make these ahead for a party?

Yes. Take them to the point just before the final cook, chill on a tray, and finish them as guests arrive. They take 21 minutes and make the house smell incredible.

The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the chicken stock hydrates as it rests.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely, but cook in more batches rather than bigger ones. Crowded pans steam instead of sear.

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end.

What do I serve with it?

We like a bowl of garlicky yoghurt and steamed jasmine rice. A crisp, cold drink is non-negotiable.

The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the chicken stock hydrates as it rests.