Kataifi-wrapped prawns with lemon yoghurt dip

Prawns wrapped in kataifi are a starter that always looks impressive but needs no special skill. Each prawn is seasoned with lemon and garlic, wound in buttered kataifi strands and baked until the coat is golden and crunchy while the prawn stays juicy inside. No breadcrumbs, no batter and no deep fryer are needed. Serve them with a cool lemon yoghurt dip or sweet chilli sauce. This recipe gives 12 prawns, a starter for 4 people, from 150 g of raw kataifi dough.

Ingredients (starter for 4, 12 prawns)

  • 12 large raw king prawns (about 30 g each), peeled and deveined, tail on
  • 150 g raw kataifi dough (thawed if frozen)
  • 60 g unsalted butter or ghee, melted
  • 1 lemon (zest and 15 ml juice)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 2 g salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 150 g Greek yoghurt (dip)
  • 10 g fresh dill or parsley, chopped (dip)

Method

  1. Pat the prawns completely dry. Make 3–4 shallow cuts across the underside of each prawn so it stays straight in the oven.
  2. Season the prawns with salt, pepper, the lemon zest and the garlic. Keep them in the fridge while you prepare the dough.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (top and bottom heat) or 180 °C with fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  4. Loosen the kataifi strands and pour 50 g of the melted butter over them. Toss until every strand is coated.
  5. Lay about 12 g of strands in a strip of 15 cm. Place a prawn at one end and roll it up tightly, leaving the tail free.
  6. Put the prawns on the tray with the loose end underneath and brush them with the remaining butter.
  7. Bake for 12–15 minutes, turning once halfway, until the coat is golden. The prawns are cooked when the flesh is pink and opaque all the way through (63 °C in the centre).
  8. Meanwhile mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice, herbs and a pinch of salt. Serve the prawns hot with the dip.

Tips and food safety

  • Thaw frozen kataifi and frozen prawns in the fridge, ideally overnight. Keep raw prawns cold until you wrap them and use a separate board for them. Do not refreeze thawed prawns.
  • Keep the kataifi strands you are not using under a clean, slightly damp cloth, so they stay flexible and do not break while wrapping.
  • Dry prawns and fully buttered strands make the crispest coat. Wet prawns steam the dough from the inside.
  • Prefer frying? Fry in oil at 175 °C for 2–3 minutes until golden, drain on paper and check that the prawns are opaque inside.
  • Serve at once. Leftovers go into the fridge within 2 hours and keep for 1 day; reheat at 200 °C for 5–6 minutes until hot right through.

Which kataifi to use

Use our raw kataifi dough, chilled or frozen: only raw strands are soft enough to wrap around a prawn. Roasted kataifi is meant for sweet fillings. If you have never worked with kataifi, read what kataifi dough is first.

For restaurants and catering

At about 12 g dough per prawn, 1 kg of raw kataifi wraps around 80 prawns. You can wrap the prawns up to 4 hours ahead, keep them covered in the fridge on lined trays and bake to order. Frozen raw kataifi keeps 12 months at −18 °C, so you can stock it for the season. Pack sizes from 1 to 20 kg and larger volumes on our wholesale page.