Grilled Prawn Skewers with Mango Achcharu
Yield: 6 skewers
Allergens: Seafood
About the Dish
Today, July 1st, is Canada Day, and I find myself at a cottage about 2 hours north of the capital. As the clouds and rain from the night before cleared and the sun and humidity came out in full force, I was reminded of the similar heat growing up in Sri Lanka. On a day like this, I would normally be found at the beach, in some seaside restaurant, undoubtedly eating some form of seafood.
Luckily, I brought up some ingredients to give this Canada Day a bit of a Lankan kick: Grilled Prawn Skewers with Mango Achcharu.
If you haven’t heard of it before, achcharu is normally a street food bought roadside in Sri Lanka or prepared at home, as it is an incredibly simple but delicious way of eating underripe or ripened fruits. The fruits are cut up and tossed in chili, black pepper, salt, and acidity through vinegar, lime juice, or tamarind. Today, I am making the achcharu with mangoes to go with my grilled prawn skewers—a Sri Lankan “mango salsa” of sorts, with big quotation marks.
To give flavour to the prawns, a seasoned clarified butter (ghee) sauce is made with garlic, ginger, chili, lemongrass, lime, and coriander. A fresh combination for a hot, humid summer's day.
Ingredient Guidance
Clean the shrimp, but keep the shells on. Leaving the shells on will help to protect the shrimp from the flames of the grill, but also introduce more flavour into the actual shrimp. Make sure you devein the shrimp (I remove the legs as well), but keep the outer shell and head on.
Ingredients
For the Skewers:
- 18 prawns (shell on)
- 50ml ghee or butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red chili
- 1 stem coriander (plus leaves for garnish)
- 1 lemongrass stick
- 1-inch piece ginger
- Lime juice, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Achcharu:
- 1 mango
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 15ml vinegar
- 10g sugar
- 15ml lime juice (or tamarind water)
Mise en Place
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least an hour to avoid them burning up on the grill.
- Clean, devein, and remove the legs of the shrimp, keeping the head and shell on.
- Peel the ginger and garlic, and chop into smaller pieces for the mortar and pestle. Clean the root of the coriander stem well to remove any unwanted debris.
- Finely chop the red chili and lemongrass.
- Peel and cut the mango into macedoine-sized units (0.5–1cm cubes).
- Cut a lime in half.
- Place 3 prawns on a skewer, making sure to pass the skewer through the tail end and the head; this way, the head will stay on during the grilling process. Season heavily with salt.
Methods & Procedures
- Make the Paste: In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander root, lemongrass, chili, salt, pepper, lime juice, and ghee. Grind or blend to a chunky paste. (Tip: If using a food processor, use the pulse setting.)
Make the Achcharu Base: In a separate bowl, combine all the achcharu ingredients except the mango. Make sure you stir the chili, sugar, lime juice, vinegar, and black pepper well until the sugar dissolves.
Marinate the Mango: Pour this mixture over the mango cubes and mix well. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Grill the Prawns: Heat the grill to around 425°F or 220°C. Place the prawn skewers on the grill and turn after 3 minutes. Flip and brush the ghee butter mixture onto the prawns.
Finish and Baste: Continue grilling for another 2 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through and have a nice char. Place the skewers on the top rack of the grill and apply the rest of the sauce to the prawns to soak up all the flavour.
Serve: Serve with the mango achcharu on top and eat immediately!
Co-founder of Snout & Seek. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Arnold's passion for food stems from both his Dutch and Sri Lankan roots. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, Arnold's career in the culinary industry has brought him from the Netherlands to Canada, where he now teaches at a cooking school.
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