Tacos are always a good idea. They come together in a flash, make a little bit of protein go a long way, and are universally popular. If you use corn tortillas, they are gluten-free too. These speedy prawn tacos with lime and chipotle come together in just 15 minutes! The prawns are the key player here — they have so much flavour and are so quick and easy to prepare. Like a good salad or sandwich, a perfect taco is all about the combination of textures and flavours. You want something creamy, something substantial (protein), something crunchy and something fresh — here we have creamy chipotle mayo, tasty prawns, crunchy cabbage, fresh coriander, and lime coming together to create the perfect, satisfying taco that we love so much.
Another dish that feels quintessentially summery is seafood pasta. For this fab grilled squid and fennel linguini, fennel is cooked right down to coax out as much flavour as possible and achieve a lightly caramelised melt-in-your-mouth texture, alongside our favourite Italian aromatics — garlic, lemon and chilli. These ingredients make for a heavenly combination with delicious grilled squid and al dente pasta, plus capers and lovely buttery green olives for juicy saltiness and fresh parsley and lemon to brighten.
Whole arrow squid is such a yummy source of high-quality protein, and is usually affordable (and sustainable, provided it has not been trawled).
Remember, you can always visit our Substack — langbeinnewseltter.substack.com for hundreds of brand-new, delicious recipes.
We hope you’re having a delicious and joyful summer!
With love,
Annabel & Rose xx
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Speedy prawn tacos with lime and chipotle
Sunshine on a plate! These fabulous tacos are perfect for easy summer eating.
Ready in 15min, plus pickling time
Serves 4
DF GF RSF
Ingredients
Spiced prawns
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
300g prawn tails, defrosted if frozen
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp paprika
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lime-pickled onions
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
About ¼ cup lime juice, strained
Chipotle mayo
2 eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups grapeseed oil, plus more if needed
2–3 Tbsp of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, to taste
To serve
12–16 corn tortillas, warmed
1 large just-ripe avocado, thinly sliced
2 cups very finely shredded cabbage
¼ cup coriander leaves
½ red chilli, de-seeded, pith removed, finely diced (optional)
Lime cheeks
Method
To make the pickled onions, place sliced onions in a jar and cover with enough lime juice to fully submerge. Place in the fridge to pickle for at least 30 minutes. Pickled onions will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
To make the mayo, place all the ingredients except the oil and chipotle peppers in a tall jug or jar. Place a handheld blender in the jar (this is key — the mayo won’t work in a food processor because it needs the speed of a handheld blender to emulsify), then add the oil. Whizz together, lifting the blender up and down to incorporate the oil. It will thicken to create a creamy mayonnaise. Add ¼ cup more oil if desired to create a thicker mayo or a little hot water to give a thinner consistency. Then blitz in the chipotle peppers. The mayo will keep for up to 2 weeks in a jar stored in the fridge.
For the prawns, heat oil in a large heavy frypan over a medium heat. Cook prawns until pink and lightly golden on both sides (3 minutes). Turn off the heat and mix in lime zest and seasoning/spices. The residual heat from the pan will nicely toast the spices. Sprinkle with salt and a little pepper and set aside.
Serve tacos family-style, allowing everyone to build their own — with warmed tortillas, accompanied by serving bowls and ramekins filled with prawns, sliced avocado, cabbage, coriander, chipotle mayo, pickled onions and chilli, if using. Serve lime cheeks on the side for squeezing.
Grilled squid and fennel linguini
Sicilian Castelvetrano olives are really what make this dish — buttery, meaty and incredibly delicious. When buying olives, if you can, always choose ones that have their stones in, as they are less likely to be mushy and have better depth of flavour.
Serves 4
Ready in 30min
DF RSF
Ingredients
1kg whole arrow squid (fresh or frozen, defrosted), or 600g squid tubes
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp flaky sea salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
400g dried pasta such as linguini, or gluten-free equivalent
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large bulbs fennel, base and ends trimmed, halved and thinly sliced lengthways
2 large cloves garlic, sliced paper-thin
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
A double pinch of chilli flakes, or more to taste
12 Sicilian Castelvetrano olives, crushed with the back of a knife to remove the stones, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp drained capers
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon cut into cheeks, to serve
Method
If you’re using whole squid, you will want to work over the sink or a bowl, as preparing it will get messy. Pull and twist the head and tentacles away from the tube to detach. Set the head aside on one end of a cutting board. Cut one side of the tubes open and flatten out on to the other end of your board. Use the back of a knife to scrape out any remaining innards from the tube, carefully removing the cartilage. Rinse thoroughly inside and out, then slice on an angle into finger-wide strips. Transfer to a bowl.
Use a sharp knife to cut behind the eyes of the squid, and discard everything but the tentacles. Make sure you discard the beak and the round, hard socket at the base of the eyes too, as these are tough and unpleasant to eat. Rinse the tentacles thoroughly, cut them in half lengthwise, and add them to the bowl with the sliced tubes.
Add oil and salt to the bowl and toss to season. If using pre-cleaned squid or tubes, slice and place in a bowl with oil and salt and toss to season.
Prepare your fire/barbecue/grill pan to high heat. Cook the squid in batches, weighing down with a heavy pan, and turning after 1–2 minutes, until charred, and the flesh has turned white, and meets no resistance when pierced with a sharp knife (3–5 minutes). Once cooked, transfer the squid to a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice. Give it a good mix and set aside while you prepare the pasta.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook pasta, following packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
For the fennel, heat oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook sliced fennel with a pinch of salt until softened and gently caramelised (8–10 minutes). Mix in the garlic, lemon zest and chilli flakes, and cook for another minute until aromatic. Remove from the heat and add drained pasta, cooked squid and its lemony juices, chopped olives, capers and parsley. Mix well to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve family-style from the pot, accompanied by lemon cheeks for additional last-minute squeezing.
Note
You can use a barbecue or grill pan to cook the squid — if using a pan, we recommend weighing it down with something heavy (like a cast iron pan) to ensure you get an even cook and as much char as possible. (Lay a piece of baking paper or foil on top of the squid before setting a heavy pan on top.)
