I knew I was a bit of a condiment anomaly, and more so after reading Thomas Gladwell’s essay, The Ketchup Conundrum. Give me a plate of fries and I’ll always ask for some garlic mayonnaise over ketchup. Part of Gladwell’s essay explores why ketchup is so loved by everyone else. It’s because in one go, it hits all the all the fundamental tastes in the human palate. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter (I keep forgetting that one!) and of course, umami – where else can you find a condiment that, as Gladwell says, pushes all five of these primal buttons! So any foodie should love ketchup right? While I cringe at the thought of pouring ketchup over a finely grilled burger, or a lovely piece of steak – I do love my Mum’s Ketchup Baked Cheese Prawns. It’s so simple to prepare, take some prawns, and stuff it with a mixture of butter, cheese, mayonnaise and of course ketchup – then bake and you’re done! With some lovely crust bread or a bowl of steamed white rice, it hits all the flavour buttons I look for.
Mum’s Ketchup Baked Cheesy Prawns
- 10 fresh large prawns, peeled and deveined
- 25 grams butter
- 40 grams cheese (I used parmesan)
- 20 grams ketchup
- 40 grams mayonnaise
- Split the prawns in the middle, making sure to leave the tails intact.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180c (fan forced).
- Using a food processor, mix the butter, cheese,ketchup and mayonnaise until it becomes a smooth paste
- Spread the mixture over the prawns and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
This look like a easy and yummy recipe, do you have measurement in tbs/tsp instead of grams?
There’s something very Asian about using bottled tomato sauce in cooking, and it definitely harks back to my mother’s cooking. A recipe definitely for me to try out on the husband!
This is one of those dishes that people publicly turn their noses up at. Mayo? Ketchup? On shrimp? Hmmph! But secretly, they can’t get enough of it. After all, who can resist those flavors, right?
Ooo… I bet these taste amazing! Bravo!
They certainly do look beautiful Trissa… I am not sure I can say that I love ketchup; it’s more of a love-hate relationship. I love it in certain things but really prefer the spicier types in most other dishes. This does look worth trying!
My boyfriend is a ketchup maniac! He will surely appreciate this dish 🙂
Magda
My moms used to cook a lot of different dishes with ketchup too. Ketchup prawn with noodles was my favourite. Reading this post brings back good memories.
Dear Trissa – So simply delicious are the flavors in this and so astounding in its simplicity that I just had to read it twice. Having done so, I realized that these flavors are absolutely lip smackingly good.
Must try soon 🙂
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
the mighty ketchup..oh my girls would bathe in it if they could…I try not to buy it at all, but this looks super tasty..
sweetlife
I must admit that I’m not a fan of ketchup, but this one sounds like a great way to cook prawns. It looks absolutely scrumptious!
Oh yummie! These prawns sure look good with ketchup/mayo/cheese sauce…love the simplicity of this dish 🙂
Almost everything tastes better covered in melted cheese… Mmmm.. cheese…
This looks soooo good! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t believe I have never heard of this before. I have to try this now.
My daughter will eat anything with ketchup. It is my secret ingredient in salsas….
you’re so right : everybody has some ketchup in his refrigerator! your recipe is a delicious and original way of cooking shrimps!
Yuummmm cheesy goodness!! And of course creaminess from mayo although I am not an avid fan of ketchup, I wanntttsss!
My kids love ketchup. They’ll eat anything that is IN ketchup. Haha..
although i enjoy ketchup on certain things, there are many other condiments that i find preferable. that said, ketchup seems perfect for this comforting and appetizing dish!
Hard for me to choose btw garlic mayo and ketchup cos I don’t often have both. But those fingers of baked cheesy prawns definitely look worthy of this fabulous recipe. Though I do not fancy ketchup, I do know the umami factor it brings – so I turned to tomatoes 😀
me too, I’ll take garlic mayo over ketchup. but still, your tomato cheese prawns looks tempting and delicious to a non-ketchup eater like me =)
There’s this silly rule in cooking that states you should never pair any kind of fish with cheese. I do NOT subscribe to that, and I’m so glad you don’t either! Those prawns looks incredible with that blanket of toasty cheese on top. This is a must try!
This does look quite simple and the recipe combination is quite unique. This definitely worth a try.
oh wow that cheesey layer looks fab!
yum yum yum!
Woah those prawns look sooo good! Gawd lady – you’re making me so hungry and it’s nowhere near lunch!
Such a comfort dish! So simple. Bookmarking for next week meal 🙂
I never would have thought to cross prawns with ketchup, but I am intrigued! You’ve been making me crave fish with the recipes that you’ve been posting lately…. The photos make me so hungry!
I love Prawns and I love Ketchup. This is a quick and easy meal that I think a lot of people would love. Looks great Trissa.
Hmm I’m not big on the ketchup either… These cheesy prawns look great though 🙂
This looks too easy… gorgeous photo!
Valerie
Hey! Nothing wrong with smothering ketchup over a good burger! (especially if its home made!). But Trissa, this looks soooooo comforting! Great recipe for a night in!
Yummy! I can’t think of anything that could possibly go wrong with this combination! 😀
I never would have thought of preparing prawns in this way, they look fantastic!
Ketchup baked prawns may be good (and they do look pretty nice), but would garlic mayo baked prawns be even better? Does garlic mayo always out-trump ketchup?
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Hmm.. I personally am not a ketchup afficionado.. but the hub is!! he douses everything with ketchup ! :OO.. he’ll love this dish ..LOL..I should make it for his birthday or something :))
My, these look so yum! I’ve got to try this very soon. Ketchup is one of the few store-bought items I ALWAYS have on hand. I even like my fried eggs with ketchup. Must be a childhood thing.
You know, I never would have thought to mix butter, cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise…but it looks like it works. Those prawns really look delicious.
That is hitting all senses for me. Yeap. Crusty bread is perfect!
That photo is enough to make me want to make this! A fabulous, drool-inspiring photo.
And what could be simpler to make?
It’s actually taken me years to get used to liking ketchup/tomato sauce. I like it on sausages or even fried eggs though I’d much prefer a good mayo. These prawns look delicious and they’re so easy to prepare! Nice one mum!
I love ketchup too but if I have fries I like it mixed with aioli or mayonnaise to give it a slighty cream edge like this would have.
That’s an interesting insight into Ketchup though I must confess I have never liked ketchup. I prefer chilli sauce to ketchup. There is a ketchup prawn dish which most mothers here would cook. I almost always never touch those. Your prawns mixes mayonnaise, cheese and ketchup… looks like a very comforting blend – your photos definitely look so.