Thai-Inspired Prawn Salad

This delicious, fresh-tasting, Thai Inspired Prawn Salad has a great combination of textures and flavours. The success of this easily-made salad lies in the balance of classic Thai flavours of sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Creaminess is provided by a coconut milk dressing, and traditional Thai herbs add vibrant colour and flavour. It is certain to become a popular addition to your repertoire as it can be prepared with minimum effort.

Ingredients:

• 20 medium cooked prawns – shelled and deveined, about 200 g/7 oz prepared weight
• 1 piece lemongrass – about 10 cm/4 inches, white part only
• 1 long red cayenne chilli pepper – or to taste
• 3 medium shallots – about 45 g/1.5 oz prepared weight
• 3 large kaffir lime leaves
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves – loosely packed
• ½ cup fresh coriander/coriander leaves – loosely packed

• 1 tablespoon caster/superfine sugar
• 9 teaspoon (45 ml) lime juice
• 5 teaspoon (25 ml) Thai fish sauce
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) coconut milk

• 1 baby Cos/Romaine lettuce – separated into leaves
• 2 tablespoon salted peanuts – finely chopped
• lime wedges, for serving – optional