Nigel Slater’s noodles, prawns and cucumber

If you toss together a marinade in the morning, your seafood, meat or vegetables can steep quietly while you work. We did this with prawns this week, letting them sit in a mixture of fish sauce, mirin, vinegar and lime juice. I could have thrown a handful of them on the grill and stuffed them into a soft, flour-dusted bun with some curls of cos lettuce, but used them instead to liven up a bowl of noodles.

A marinade has often done its work once the meat or fish is removed. This time, the liquid was simmered down to a few spoonfuls, which we used to dress the transparent angel hair noodles and green herbs. I used mint and coriander but also basil. I’m growing a pot of Thai basil at the moment, so a handful of its purple-stained leaves went in as well.

Serves 2
For the marinade:
fish sauce 2 tbsp
mirin 2 tbsp
rice vinegar 1 tbsp
lime juice 100ml (about 2 limes)
red chilli 1, medium
raw prawns 16

For the noodles:
cucumber 100g
mint leaves 12
coriander a handful
angel hair noodles 100g
groundnut oil 2 tbsp

Combine the fish sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and lime juice in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Finely chop the chilli and add to the bowl. Put the prawns into the marinade and leave for an hour or so.

Peel the cucumber, slice in half lengthways and remove the core with a teaspoon. Cut the cucumber into short lengths and then into large matchstick-sized pieces, then put them in a bowl with the mint leaves and coriander.

Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl, pour a kettle of boiling water over them and set aside while you cook the prawns.

Warm the groundnut oil in a shallow pan. When it starts to sizzle, add the prawns and let them cook for 2 minutes. Remove the prawns, then pour in the marinade and leave it to bubble for a couple of minutes until it has reduced by about half.

Drain the noodles and add to the cucumber and herbs. Add the prawns, then the marinade and toss everything together.

This article was originally published on 16 August 2020