‘Beautiful, crisp salad… beautiful, fresh prawns.’
Cooking at the campsite should be kept pretty shrimp-le.
In this episode, we invite the sweet, sophisticated, and frankly kinda strange-looking prawn to partake in Cam’s freshest campsite feed yet. Clean, colourful, and not too bougie for base camp is his Chargrilled Thai Prawn Salad.
Curb those crustacean cravings here – plus more on our YouTube channel, every Sunday from 6pm.
Cam’s Chargrilled Thai Prawn Salad
Ingredients:
Salad
1/2 a continental cucumber
1/2 a carrot
1/2 a red onion
1/2 a wombok / Chinese cabbage
1/2 a bunch of coriander
1/2 a bunch of mint
1 x handful of mesclun salad mix
1 x Birds Eye chilli (to taste)
Prawns
4 x King prawns
1/2 a lemon
1 x tbsp of canola oil
Salt and pepper
Thai-style salad dressing
Cam’s Kit:
Method:
1. Crank the Heat (00:32)
For this dish, Cam uses his Cobb portable grill. With a self-lighting cobblestone, there’s no need for firelighters. We love a bit of self-sufficiency off the grid.
Place the lid on, and allow to heat.
2. Prepare the Salad (00:45)
Slice the cucumber, carrot, red onion, and wombok as thickly or as thinly as you prefer. We’re here to suggest how to prepare a salad, not tell you how to live your life.
Roughly chop the coriander, mint, and as much Birds Eye chilli as you can handle. Are you someone who likes a full-blown mouthful of fire, or to actually taste what you’re eating?
Toss all ingredients into a bowl with a handful of leafy salad mix.
Now move aside Salad, you show-off. Onto the prawns.
Slice the cucumber
Slice the red onion
Slice the carrot
Slice the wombok
Roughly chop the coriander and mint
Chop however much of the Birds Eye chilli you desire
3. Prepare the Prawns (02:11)
Take the prawns as they come, tell them they’re beautiful just the way they are, and slice each straight down the centre.
Put each aside into a container.
Slice the prawns down the centre
4. Marinate the Prawns (02:47)
We all know someone who’s a complete prawn head. Hit them with some spicy banter already.
Lie prawns flat on a plate and scatter the chopped chilli on top. Crack on some salt, and drizzle with Thai-style dressing. Usually, Cam would create the dressing from scratch using palm sugar, chilli, lime, and lemon juice – however, bottled dressing from a supermarket is a more efficient option for the campsite.
Finish with the juice of half a fresh lemon and a splash of oil.
Let the prawns sit for about 5 minutes to think about what they’ve done. This will allow all that salt, spice, and sourness to marinate.
Lie the prawns flat and scatter the chopped chilli on top
Season with salt
Douse in Thai-style dressing
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon
5. Grill the Prawns (04:09)
By this point, the Cobb would have been heating for 20 minutes and very hot. Place the prawns onto the grill – shell-side down, to allow that 5-star char.
Place the lid on top. The thing about a prawn is they appear tough on the outside but are really just soft and fleshy on the inside – so they should only take 4-5 minutes to feel the heat from your grillin’.
Place the prawns onto the grill, shell-side down
Cook for 4-5 minutes with the lid on
6. Dress the Salad (04:47)
Top your salad mix with a splash of Thai-style salad dressing.
Give the salad a good mix. If anyone asks why you’re being such a tosser in this moment, blame Cam.
Let the salad sit, and check on your prawns in the meantime.
Drizzle the salad mix with Thai-style dressing
Toss the dressing through the salad mix
7. Check the Prawns (05:52)
When the prawns turn relatively opaque, they’re close to being ready.
Don’t take the grilling too far (we’re all just trying to get by in this world) – when overcooked, seafood tends to lose its flavour and become tough. We’re not here to fight a prawn.
When the prawns look opaque, they’re close to being ready
Be careful not to overcook the prawns!
8. Arrange the Salad (06:16)
Alright gang, it’s time to PILE ON.
Tip your salad mix into a neat mound on a serving plate, and position the grilled prawns on top.
Lastly, crack on some black pepper.
Pile your salad mix on to a plate or serving board
9. The Finished Product (06:49)
For a quick, simple, healthy, and delicious outdoor dish – Cam’s Chargrilled Thai Prawn Salad delivers a crisp bite, lemony pang, and spicy tang in just 10 minutes.
From light lunches and pallet cleansers to the more delicate dinners – cook using any grill, frypan, or appliance alike.
A crisp bite, lemony pang, and spicy tang in just 10 minutes!
After 32 years behind the flour-dusted steel benches of commercial kitchens, Cam folds out his flattop tabletop and taps into campfire coals and portable camp stoves. From tender steaks and Turducken slabs, to sides, fries, and festive pies – follow along for easy, speedy, and crowd-pleasing campsite feeds!