Cajun prawn and kale salad – classic US gumbo dish on a diet

I’m slowly working my way through Tom Kerridge’s Lose Weight for Good book (I’d recommend it!). Following the success of Scrambled Cajun Eggs, yesterday I decided to continue with the theme by making Cajun Prawn and Kale Salad. This is apparently a classic US gumbo dish originating from Louisiana.

This is a really gutsy salad with bold flavours that fill you up for only 220 calories. I didn’t have all of the recommended ingredients to hand and had to make do with standard king prawns rather than raw tiger prawns, a regular red chilli instead of Scotch Bonnet and I omitted the celery. That did save me a couple of quid in costs, but in contrast the end result wasn’t as good had I followed this recipe to the letter. When life returns to ‘normal’ I’ll be giving this another go.

Recipe: Cajun prawn and kale salad

Calories: 220 calories per serving

Serves: 2

Book: Tom Kerridge – Lose Weight for Good

Prep time: Approx 20 mins

Cooking time: Approx 10 mins

Ingredients: For the kale: 100g kale leaves (roughly torn), juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, ground black pepper

For the cajun prawns: 220g raw tiger prawns (peeled and deveined, leaving the tail on), 2 tsp cajun spice mix, olive oil spray, 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped), ½ Scotch Bonnet chilli (finely chopped), ½ red pepper (cored, deseeded and sliced into strips), ½ yellow pepper (cored, deseeded and sliced into strips), 2 celery sticks (thinly sliced on an angle), 2 medium-large tomatoes (diced), juice of 1 lime, a handful of coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Cost per portion: Approx £3.78

Method: Put the torn kale into a bowl and trickle over the lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then massage the kale gently for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Place the prawns in a separate bowl and sprinkle with the Cajun spice mix and a good pinch of salt. Toss to coat the prawns well. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high eat. When hot, add 10 sprays of oil. Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently, or until they turn just pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat and add another 15 sprays of oil. Toss in the garlic, chilli and pepper strips and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the celery and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Return the prawns to the pan, add the lime juice and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the prawns turn pink and are properly cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, stir through the coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the seasoned kale out on a large serving plate and top with the hot Cajun prawn mix. Serve straight away.