By Chef Dez/Special to Black Press Media
Picnics are a great summer pastime, and this recipe of mine will ensure that your picnic egg salad sandwiches will be the best ever.
Cajun Shrimp Egg Salad Sandwiches
Recipe created by Chef Dez, chefdez.com
“A reinvention of a classic sandwich with the infusion of Cajun flavours and prawns, because life is too short to eat bland egg salad sandwiches”
300g raw prawns or shrimp (16/20 size or smaller), peeled & deveined
1/3 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup small diced celery
1/4 cup small diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons sweet green relish
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 to 4 dashes Tabasco brand hot sauce
6 large, hard-boiled eggs, chilled, peeled, and rough chopped
Salt & pepper to season, if desired
4 four-inch brioche buns, cut in half horizontally
Cut the prawns into small pieces, if desired. Combine the prawns in a small bowl with the minced onion, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the canola oil.
Heat a 10-inch non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of canola oil, and then the prawn mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the prawns are cooked through, approximately two minutes. Transfer this cooked prawn mixture to a shallow tray or dinner plate and refrigerate immediately to chill while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, celery, bell pepper, chives, relish, pickle juice, lemon juice, and Tabasco together. Stir in the chilled chopped hard-boiled eggs, and the chilled prawn mixture. Season to taste with salt & pepper, if desired.
Portion mixture equally onto the 4 prepared buns and serve immediately.
Makes 4 sandwiches (approximately 3 cups of egg salad mixture)
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– Chef Dez is a food columnist and culinary instructor in the Fraser Valley. Visit him at www.chefdez.com. Send questions to dez@chefdez.com or to P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6R4
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