Make prawn cocktail like a Michelin chef

A 1980s classic that has returned better than ever, the prawn cocktail is an easy win for those looking for a delicious seafood appetizer, maybe even a little spectacular, with a vintage feel. In recent years it has become increasingly common to find this dish on menus again, in fine-dining restaurants, which offer original versions and creative reinterpretations. But how do you prepare a prawn cocktail to perfection? We asked chef Vito Mollica, chef at Michelin-starred Atto restaurant in Florence, inside the historic Palazzo Portinari Salviati. 

In this gastronomic oasis, where the past is in constant dialogue with the present, between Renaissance works of art and design details, there is also his Salotto Portinari Bistrot, with a menu that nods to the classics of Italian cuisine and beyond. Among them is the steamed prawns with a Michter's whiskey cocktail sauce, Mollica’s personal interpretation of the legendary prawn cocktail. A dish with a retro vibe, but with a contemporary flavor: find out how to make it below. 

Prawn cocktail: tips and tricks 

“Steamed prawns with Michter's whiskey cocktail sauce is a dish that I have included on the Salotto Portinari Bistrot menu for some time now: it is a reinterpretation of a recipe that represents the ‘80s and ‘90s, when I started doing this job,” says Mollica. “At the time, prawn cocktail was very popular at all events and in every restaurant, but it was of very low quality, even though it was widely consumed: this is why I wanted to bring this iconic dish back into the limelight, but with a crazy, very careful creation,” he adds.  

Below you'll find the chef's advice for every single ingredient that makes up the dish. 

Choose the best prawns you can find 

The trick to making an amazing prawn cocktail? Don't leave the choice of ingredients to chance, starting with the small crustaceans, the stars of the recipe. “I choose prawns from the Tyrrhenian Sea,” says Mollica.   

Use fresh, crunchy lettuce 

Goodbye sad withered leaves. For the green side of the prawn cocktail, the inevitable bed of lettuce, chef Mollica has no doubt: "For the recipe I developed, I opted for a heart of baby lettuce, with a crunchy texture." 

Customise the homemade Marie Rose sauce 

Cocktail sauce, also called Marie Rose sauce, is made by combining ketchup and mayonnaise with a drop of brandy. It can be found readymade, but there is nothing better than preparing it at home and personalizing it with a spirit of your choice. The chef's touch? “Enrich the cocktail sauce with a special alternative such as Michter's whiskey.” 

Pay attention to the serving temperature 

Contrast works. Among Mollica's tricks for obtaining an exceptional prawn cocktail is the correct serving temperature. The ideal is to serve the prawns warm with a cold sauce. “In my recipe, the cocktail sauce is enriched with whiskey, so that the prawn can be served warm and, at the same time, it can be draped with a cold sauce, which enhances its flavor,” concludes the chef. 

Vito Mollica's prawn cocktail recipe 

Below you will find the recipe for steamed prawns with Michter's whiskey cocktail sauce, a reinterpretation of the classic prawn cocktail recipe, by chef Vito Mollica. 

Serves 6 

Ingedients 

• 30 fresh prawns 

• 1 head baby lettuce 

• 30g (1 oz) Michter’s Whiskey 

• 1 lemon 

• Mayonaise and ketchup 

• Salt, olive oil and pepper 

For the mayonaise  

• 2 egg yolks 

• 260ml (9 fl oz) sunflower seed oil 

• 10ml (1 tbsp) white vinegar 

• 10ml 1 tbsp) lemon juice 

For the ketchup 

• 400g (14 oz) tomato sauce 

• 100g (3.5 oz) red onion, chopped 

• 60g (2 oz) extra virgin olive oil 

• 120ml (4 oz) apple cider vinegar 

• 50g (1.7 oz) cane sugar 

• 20g  (2 tbsp) Worcester sauce 

• Nutmeg, to taste 

• Salt and pepper, to taste 

Method 

Step 1 

Start with the mayonnaise. In a bowl mix the egg yolks with vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Once everything is mixed, whip with a whisk, adding the sunflower oil little by little, until you get the right consistency. 

Step 2 

Move on to the ketchup. In a pan, fry the chopped onion. Add the tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook everything for about 30 minutes and, once cold, add the Worcester sauce. 

Step 3 

Mix the ketchup and mayonnaise, then add the whiskey to make the Marie Rose sauce. 

Step 4 

Clean the prawns by removing the heads and shells, then blanch them in salted water with a few lemon peels. 

Step 5 

Wash and cut the baby lettuce into 4 pieces and season with salt, oil and pepper. 

Step 6 

Serve on a flat plate, placing the Marie Rose sauce, baby lettuce and prawns (seasoned with salt, oil and pepper) at the base, adding more sauce on top.