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This month each week will bring two posts that share Christmas foods from different parts of the world. It will go until the week after Christmas. It was fun to do the research and learn about these traditions and how they came to be. First on the list, Australia.
Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so a white Christmas doesn’t happen there. In fact, December is the start of summer time! So think of Christmas as a big 4th of July party on the Northern hemisphere! Some say that Santa takes a break when he gets to Australia. His reindeers rest and he uses Kangaroos! He even puts his beachwear on. But what do they eat?
Christmas Food Traditions in Australia
Since it’s summertime, barbecues are quite popular. If you live near a beach, that’s where you celebrate. The main meal is often eaten at lunchtime and there are a lot of cold foods, as well as some of the traditional Christmas foods.
Pavlov is the top, iconic dessert – meringues covered in cream and fruit. Lots of cherries and tomatoes are part of the meal. There are plenty of mimosas and beer (but NOT Fosters). BBQ is the way most food is prepared. But they don’t do shrimp on the barbie – prawns are what are eaten in Australia. They are either purchased pre-cooked and served cold, or cooked on a grill and always served with Thousand Island dressing. Cold oysters, ham and turkey are often on the table too.
Since I don’t have the time or the room to do everything, today I am offering grilled prawns (or in this case, shrimp. Prawns are hard to find here). They are similar, but prawns are usually larger and just a tad sweeter.
Grilling the Prawns
If you’re in Australia, you’d be firing up the charcoals. But I’m in the Pacific Northwest and it’s cold and wet. So I fired up my grill pan!
Simple is better when it comes to prawns (shrimp) in Australia.
You can do these two ways – skewered or just on the grill. If you are using a barbecue, I recommend the skewers. There’s less chance of them falling into the coals. I butterflied the shrimps from back to leg side first. You don’t have to do that, you can leave them whole.
Salt and pepper both sides of each piece.
If you are skewering, run the stick from tail to top, carefully getting it into the thickest part. I used rosemary sticks. You get some nice flavor from them.
If you are using a grill pan, drop some rosemary leaves directly on the griddle. The flavor will smoke into the meat creating a very subtle rosemary flavor.
Cook for just 2 or 3 minutes, turn and cook another 2 or 3 minutes.
Be careful not to over cook.
They should be golden.
You can serve them immediately, hot, or chill them and serve them cold.
Either way, you must include a bowl of Thousand Island dressing for dipping!
© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome
A very popular dish on Christmas in Australia. It's the start of summer there, so plenty of light and cold foods fill the table.
- 20 to 25 whole prawns or large shrimp, peeled with the tail on (large prawns can simple be cut in half lengthwise with the shell on)
- kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- thousand island dressing and lemon wedges for serving
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Heat the grill or grill pan to medium high heat.
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You can do these two ways - skewered or just on the grill. If you are using a barbecue, I recommend the skewers. There's less chance of them falling into the coals. I butterflied the shrimps from back to leg side first. You don't have to do that, you can leave them whole.
-
Salt and pepper both sides of each piece. If you are skewering, run the stick from tail to top, carefully getting it into the thickest part. I used rosemary sticks. You get some nice flavor from them.
-
If you are using a grill pan, drop some rosemary leaves directly on the griddle. The flavor will smoke into the meat creating a very subtle rosemary flavor.
-
Cook for just 2 or 3 minutes, turn and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful not to over cook.
-
You can serve them immediately, hot, or chill them and serve them cold. Either way, you must include a bowl of Thousand Island dressing for dipping!
© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome
Merry Christmas!
Enjoyed these for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Turned out light yet flavorful, and hands down delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe!
I can’t wait to try this one. I just got a new grill so the timing is perfect.
I will be using rosemary skewers the next time I grill shrimp. Thanks for the great idea.
A delicious way to serve grilled prawns! I really liked your tip about using rosemary sticks in place of skewers. That added just a touch of rosemary essence to the prawns. the Thousand Island dressing was surprisingly wonderful too! I’ll be making this recipe again and for guests next time.
Grilled prawns are my favorite. I love them in skewers. Your tip is so useful. I am going to use it.
The grilled prawns were so delicious and impeccable. surely going to make these again.