Southern Influence: Fried Prawns.

In February I received some great news. I have kindly been placed on to a Camp America program for the summer. YAY!! Guess where this incredible adventure will take me? GUESS! Okay, I'll have to tell you. Mississippi! The great and mighty! I decided to get a head start in exploring the wonders of this amazing place through their diverse culture and cuisine. This recipe was inspired by their hugely popular seafood tradition, incorporated with their 'fried foods & mashed potato' trademark. I took some prawns (washed & cleaned), then dipped them in a mixture of milk and malt vinegar (sounds crazy, I know! They use buttermilk, and this is an easy alternative!), drop the prawns into some plain flour, and repeat. The combination is really good, as it binds well and sticks on to the prawns. Meanwhile, prep some veggies. I put on a pan of peeled and chopped potatoes to boil. I then seared some green bell pepper (they love this), tomatoes, red onion and chorizo (for extra spice and richness) in another pan. Once your potatoes are about done and your veg mix is breaking down nicely, get a deep pan of vegetable or sunflower oil to the boil. (Be really careful when doing this!) Fill it up about half way, you may have to batch fry your prawns. Test the oil with a drop of bread. As soon as it's hot enough, drop in the prawns, and leave them to go crisp and golden. When finished, drain them on kitchen towel. Plate up all your ingredients in a nice bundle of love. It may sound mad, but it is really good! Stick on some B.B.King, and I'll see you in Mississippi.