Spot Prawn Surf and Turf

With both BBQ and spot prawn season underway, our friend Steve W. has brought the very best of surf and turf together, highlighting our delicious spot prawns!

While this recipe calls for pork tenderloin, wrapped in bacon with spot prawns, don't hesitate to get creative and substitute the red meat for seafood or vegetarian alternatives.

Note: Steve notes to be sure to use pork tenderloin and not pork loin. Pork tenderloin weighs about 500 g/1lb while pork loins are considerably larger. 

Ingredients

Surf & Turf

• 1 small tub (or 10-12) Skipper Otto Frozen at Sea Spot Prawns Tails - shells removed and thawed 
• 1 Pork Tenderloin (not pork loin)
• 4-6 strips of thin cut bacon - this varies depending on how many medallions you get from the tenderloin
• 1/2 cup compound butter - divided (see below for compound butter recipe)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked or regular paprika
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Toothpicks
• Skewers
• Parsley - as garnish

Brine

• 4 cups (1 litre) water
• 3 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp white sugar

Compound Butter

• 1/2 cup butter - softened
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp course black pepper

Directions

1. Make the compound butter by mixing together all the ingredients. Reserve 2 Tbsp for the prawns.
2. Mix brine ingredients together and stir until dissolved.
3. Remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin and place it in a resealable plastic bag. Add the brine and place in the fridge for 4-18 hours (if brining).
4. Because the pork will be cooked before the bacon, partially cook the bacon until about half done. Cook the bacon in the oven on a baking sheet so the bacon doesn't curl up too much.
5. Preheat your BBQ for 2 zone cooking to medium high heat on one side of the grill and no heat on the other side. Because of the bacon, if you have any flareups you can move the bacon wrapped pork to the indirect side. 
6. While the BBQ is preheating, in a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, paprika, parsley and lemon juice as a marinade. Toss in the prawns and let marinate for 15-30 minutes.
7. Remove the tenderloin from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry.
8. Cut the tenderloin into 4-6 medallions about the thickness of the bacon. Then wrap 1 slice of the bacon around each pork medallion and secure with a toothpick. Season the top and bottom of each tenderloin medallion with fresh cracked black pepper. If you didn't brine, you may want to also season with a little kosher salt.
9. Oil your grill grate and place the medallions over direct heat. Cook for about 5-7 minutes then flip and cook until the internal temperature is 60C/140F. Remove, add some of the compound butter to the tops of each pork medallion and cover while you cook the prawns.
10. Once the pork is resting, remove the prawns from the marinade and skewer if needed. Place the shrimp over the direct heat for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. The prawns don't need long to cook, so keep watch.
11. While the prawns are cooking, melt the reserved 2 Tbsp of compound butter. Once the prawns are cooked, brush with the butter.

Plating

Remove the toothpicks and place 2-3 pork medallions on each plate. Add 5 or 6 grilled prawns and pour over any reserved liquid from the rested pork. Steve has paired this with hand cut french fries, but substitute in steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus or any of your favourite sides to this dish and garnish with chopped parsley.

Servings: 2 people

Recipe shared with us by our friend and member Steve W. – see more of his recipe creations on Instagram