Prawn Salad Cream Sauce Recipe

Prep vegetables and fruit

Scrub the potatoes and cut into 2 cm (3/4 inch) cubes. Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2 cm rounds or small batons. Core the apple and dice into 1 cm pieces (leave the skin on for texture). Halve the grapes. Cut tomatoes into wedges or 1.5 cm chunks. Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces, wash, and dry in a salad spinner or towel.

Cook potatoes and carrots

Place the potato cubes and carrot pieces in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 2 cm. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10–12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Let cool to room temperature (or speed cooling with an ice bath for 5 minutes).

Poach prawns

While the vegetables cook, make the poaching liquid: in a wide saucepan bring 800 ml water, 100 ml white wine (optional), bay leaf, peppercorns, 1 tsp salt and lemon slices to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, add the prawns in a single layer and cook just until they turn pink and opaque, about 2–3 minutes depending on size. Immediately remove prawns with a slotted spoon to stop cooking and transfer to an ice bath for 1 minute, then drain and pat dry. If prawns are pre-cooked, simply rinse under cold water and drain.

Combine salad ingredients

In a large bowl combine the cooled potatoes, carrots, halved grapes, diced apple, and tomato pieces. Add the cooked prawns and gently fold to combine. Add the torn lettuce last to avoid wilting.

Season

Sprinkle the salad mixture with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper (adjust to taste). Toss gently to distribute seasoning.

Make the cream sauce by combining 120 g mayonnaise and 60 g plain yogurt in a bowl. Whisk in 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp white wine or apple cider vinegar, and optional 1 tsp lemon zest until smooth.

Season the dressing with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne if using. Taste and adjust acidity or sweetness with an additional 1/2 tsp vinegar or honey as needed. The dressing should be creamy, tangy and slightly sweet.

If you prefer a thinner dressing, whisk in 1–2 tbsp cold water or reserved poaching liquid (strained) until it reaches the desired consistency.

Reserve about 3–4 tablespoons of dressing to coat the potatoes and prawns while mixing; keep the remainder to serve on the side or to lightly dress the whole salad.

Fold about 3–4 tbsp of the cream sauce into the potato, prawn and fruit mixture, tossing gently so everything is coated but not soggy. Add more dressing as needed — aim for a light coating.

Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter or divide between plates. Spoon the dressed prawn-and-potato mixture over the lettuce.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and an extra grind of black pepper. Serve immediately with remaining dressing on the side.

Leftovers: store dressing separately from the salad if possible. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 2 days (prawns best eaten same day).