Cooking prawns?

[lozlg]

Never cooked king prawns before. How long to a boil them for?

[nickmo]

Drop into boiling water and when the water is back to the boil the prawns will be just cooked through - look for a good even pink colour. Do not overcook as they will be tough. If you cook ahead of time for the rest of the meal, plunge into ice water as soon as they are ready to stop them cooking further, and just give them 15 secs in a fry pan if you want to serve hot or add to the rest of the recipe when you need them.

Don't forget to remove the black thread doen the back of the prawn before cooking. With a very sharp knife run this down the back and the thread can easily be taken out or rinsed out in water. When the prwanws cook they will then curl back and look attractive as well.

[lia*]

here is a delicious recipe:

MINT-MARINATED SHRIMP WITH TABBOULEH, TOMATOES, AND FETA

2 cups medium or coarsely cracked bulgur*
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
20 cooked peeled deveined large shrimp with tails intact

3 plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped arugula
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Stir bulgur, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/3 cup oil in large bowl. Let stand until bulgur is tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons mint, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Mix in shrimp. Marinate 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain off any excess liquid from bulgur. Mix in tomatoes, arugula, feta, green onions, garlic, remaining 3 tablespoons mint, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Season salad to taste with pepper.

Mound salad in large shallow bowl or on individual plates. Spoon shrimp and dressing over and serve.

*Also called cracked wheat; available at supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and natural foods stores.