Prawn & fennel cocktail

• heads fennel↗3

  trimmed

• caster sugar↗1 tbsp tbsp
• Maldon sea salt↗2 tsp tsp
• lemon↗juice ½

  juice ½

• cooked, peeled king prawns↗400g g
• chervilhandful

  leaves, roughly chopped

• tarragonhandful

  leaves, roughly chopped

• small handfuls mixed salad leaves↗6
• lemon↗1

  cut into 6 wedges

• small red chilli↗1

  deseeded

• garlic clove↗1
• saffron↗pinch

  pinch

• good-quality mayonnaise↗250ml ml

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   To make the rouille, use a pestle and mortar to mash chilli and garlic to a smooth paste. Bring the saffron to a simmer with 4 tbsp of water. Stir saffron water, garlic and chilli into the mayonnaise and put in the fridge, until ready to use.

2. 2

   Cut the fennel into quarters, remove the cores and use a Japanese mandolin or sharp knife to slice as thinly as possible. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the fennel for 1 min until just wilted. Drain and tip into iced water. Drain again and use a cloth to wring out all the excess water, then leave in the fridge.

3. 3

   To assemble the dish, season the fennel with the sugar, salt, a decent grinding of pepper and the lemon juice. Cut most of the prawn tails in half, saving a whole one for each serving. Mix the chopped prawns into the fennel, then add the chopped chervil and tarragon and enough rouille to bind everything together (about 6-7 tbsp). Half-fill 6-8 martini glasses loosely with the fennel mix. Place the mixed leaves on top, then a whole prawn tail, then drizzle with the fennel juices that will have collected at the bottom of the bowl. Serve straight away with a wedge of lemon.