Fantail Shrimp with Tomato Kebabs and Whitebait

Fantail Shrimp are most commonly found in Polynesian Chinese restaurants. Being Oceania that and the whitebait location makes this the 7th continent out of 7 for a dish on this blog. Whitebait are most frequently found in New Zealand. In many rivers īnanga, kōaro and banded kōkopu make up most of the whitebait catch, with īnanga being the most common species.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Cooking Method: Barbecuing and Grilling

Courses: Mains

Difficulty: Advanced

Servings: 4

Dietary: Pescatarian

Ingredients

Skewers

400 g shrimp (fantail)
400 g g tomatoes (cherry)
2 Garlic cloves (minced)
3 tbsp Chilli sauce (sweet)
1½ limes (juiced)
Thyme (fresh, leaves)

Whitebait

450 g whitebait
50 g plain flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1½ tbsp parsley (flat leaf)
1 tsp paprika (smoked)
1 lemon

Instructions

1
If using bamboo skewers then soak them first in water for 15 to 20 minutes to prevent them burning, otherwise use metal skewers.
2
Alternate the prawns and tomatoes onto 8 to 10 skewers until all are filled. Arrange the skewers in a shallow baking tray. Combine the chilli sauce with the garlic, lime juice and thyme leaves, then pour over the skewers and leave in the fridge to marinate for 45 to 90 minutes.
Keep the seafood refrigerated throughout marination. Any marinade that has contacted the raw prawns should not be served as an uncooked dipping sauce.
3
Place the baking tray on a hot BBQ grill for about 8 minutes, turning and basting from time to time. Once cooked, serve with an extra pot of chilli sauce for dipping and lemon wedges on the side.
Use fresh chilli sauce for dipping rather than the raw-seafood marinade. Cook until the prawns are opaque and firm throughout; timing varies with their size and the heat of the barbecue.
4
Alternatively, strip the skewers of the shrimp and tomatoes and toss together with the cooked whitebait and serve with a crisp salad.
5
Whitebait: Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or frying pan. In a bowl add the paprika to the flour and season, ensuring the paprika is evenly distributed.
6
Working in batches, coat the fish in the flour mixture then very carefully fry for 3 minutes, or until golden and cooked, stirring on occasion as we're using relatively little oil.
Keep batches small enough that the oil remains hot. The fish should be piping hot and cooked through, not merely browned on the coating.
7
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain for 5 minutes on kitchen paper. Pick and finely chop the parsley, then incorporate with the mayonnaise and 1/3 of the juice of a lemon.
8
Serve as above {Alternatively, strip the skewers of the shrimp and tomatoes and toss together with the cooked whitebait and serve with a crisp salad}.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 470.63kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21.96g34%
Saturated Fat 3.51g18%
Cholesterol 3.93mg2%
Sodium 385.27mg17%
Potassium 1022.67mg30%
Total Carbohydrate 21.17g8%
Dietary Fiber 2.18g9%
Sugars 9.49g
Protein 45.90g92%

Vitamin C 25.65 mg
Calcium 248.29 mg
Iron 4.94 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Once the shell is off, check to see if there is a black line running down the back of the prawn. This is the intestinal tractm if it’s black, it’s full. It’s not harmful to eat, but the prawn looks better without it. Of course, you can live off it but it tastes like... and apart from Crocodile Dundee who wants to s***. Removing it is called ‘deveining’. Using a small, sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the length of the black line, then lift it out using the tip of the knife.