Grilled Prawns with Italian Salsa Verde

To prepare the salsa verde, first clean and dry the parsley. Remove the leaves from the stem and finely chop. Place into a bowl. Next, mince the garlic. Add to the parsley, along with the olive oil. Mix to combine. Season with salt to taste and set aside. Note: The salsa verde can be prepared a few hours in advance.

Clean and devein the prawns. Leave the tails on for nicer presentation. *Note: This recipe would also work with large jumbo shrimp (or prawns) with the heads on. If using these, leave the heads and tails on and just peel and devein the bodies. Marinating the prawns is optional, but the added heat from the chilies and the extra garlic do add a nice touch. To marinate the prawns, crush the garlic into a small bowl. Add the chili flakes and olive oil and stir to combine. Toss to coat the prawns with the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour. In the meantime, soak the skewers in cold water (if using bamboo or wooden skewers).

To assemble the skewers, place one sage leaf on a skewer, followed by a prawn. Thread the skewer through the head and tail of the prawn to ensure it is securely in place. Next, place another sage leaf, followed by another prawn. Depending on the size of your skewers, you can repeat this process as many times as desired. Just be sure there is a sage leaf at each end and in-between each prawn. When done, refrigerate until ready to cook. Alternatively, make sure your grill has been preheated to medium-high and proceed with grilling the prawns.

To grill the prawns, first pour the bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Start with about 3/4 cup and add more bread crumbs if you need them. *Note: Italian Bread Crumbs can be used instead of just plain bread crumbs. If using Italian bread crumbs, do not season the prawns with more salt before coating them in the bread crumbs; otherwise, they may be too salty as the parmesan from the bread crumbs is usually salty enough. It is also worth noting that homemade bread crumbs are preferred over store bought as they are usually much fresher. When ready to cook, brush or spray the prawns with a bit of olive oil. If using plain bread crumbs, lightly season the prawns with a bit of salt and pepper. Next, place a skewer into the bread crumbs and then flip over to coat the other side, shaking off any excess. Continue until all of the skewers are coated in the bread crumbs. Before cooking the prawns, make sure your grill is clean and hot. Douse a paper towel in oil and oil the grill. Place the skewers diagonally onto the hot grill and grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until just cooked through. When done, the bread crumbs should be nice and golden. Be sure to monitor the heat to prevent the bread crumbs or sage leaves from burning. If they start to burn before the prawns are cooked through move them to a cooler part of the grill or turn the heat down a bit. Serve the prawns with some of the salsa verde and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice poured over top. Serve more lemon wedges and any remaining salsa on the side.