Culinary Advisor
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Prawn Marie Rose Sandwich
Created by Chef Thomas
Cold prawns in a pink sauce that the nation adopted in the 1960s and has quietly refused to give up, piled onto soft bread with shredded iceberg and eaten without ceremony.
Some things you don't improve. You just make them properly.
The prawn Marie Rose sandwich is one of those. Plump, cold prawns folded through a pink sauce that is nothing more than mayonnaise, ketchup, a few drops of this and that, and the particular genius of a nation that decided in the 1960s that cocktail sauce belonged on everything. It's in the notebook: "Prawns, pink sauce, white bread, the garden in full sun." A Saturday lunch. The kind where you eat with one hand and hold a glass with the other.
The sauce is the thing. It sounds simple, and it is, but the balance has to be right. Too much ketchup and it tips into something cloying. Too little and you've just got mayonnaise with a blush. A squeeze of lemon sharpens it. Worcestershire sauce gives it depth. A few drops of Tabasco if you want a whisper of heat at the back. Taste it. Adjust it. This is your sauce, not mine.
Then there's the iceberg. I know. But trust me on this. You want the cold, architectural crunch of iceberg, not some tender leaf that gives up the moment the sauce touches it. The contrast between the crisp lettuce and the soft, pink-dressed prawns is the whole architecture of the sandwich. Butter the bread to the edges. Cut in half. We're only making lunch.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary AdvisorIngredients
cold cooked prawns
Quantity
200g
North Atlantic if possible, patted dry
good mayonnaise
Quantity
3 tablespoons
tomato ketchup
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce
Quantity
a few drops
lemon juice
Quantity
a squeeze
Tabasco (optional)
Quantity
a few drops
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
soft white bread
Quantity
4 slices
iceberg lettuce
Quantity
a handful
finely shredded
unsalted butter
Quantity
for spreading
softened
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cold cooked prawnsNorth Atlantic if possible, patted dry | 200g |
| good mayonnaise | 3 tablespoons |
| tomato ketchup | 1 tablespoon |
| Worcestershire sauce | a few drops |
| lemon juice | a squeeze |
| Tabasco (optional) | a few drops |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| soft white bread | 4 slices |
| iceberg lettucefinely shredded | a handful |
| unsalted buttersoftened | for spreading |
Equipment Needed
- •Small mixing bowl
- •Kitchen paper
Instructions
- 1
Make the Marie Rose
Stir the mayonnaise and ketchup together in a small bowl. Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lemon, and Tabasco if you want it. A grind of black pepper. Taste it. You're after something that is pink and sharp and slightly sweet, with enough acidity to stand up to the prawns. Adjust until it tastes like the one you remember. Everyone's is a little different, and that's as it should be.
The ratio of mayonnaise to ketchup is roughly three to one, but use your judgement. Too much ketchup and it tastes like a children's party. Too little and you lose the colour and the sweetness that makes the whole thing work. - 2
Dress the prawns
Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper if they are wet. This matters. Wet prawns will thin the sauce and turn everything watery. Fold them gently through the Marie Rose until each one is evenly coated. Don't crush them. You want them whole and plump, sitting in the sauce, not lost in it.
- 3
Build the sandwich
Butter the bread on one side. Proper butter, spread to the edges. This isn't decoration; it's a moisture barrier between the bread and the filling. Lay a bed of shredded iceberg on two of the slices. The lettuce should be cold and crisp, the kind that snaps when you tear it. Spoon the dressed prawns generously over the lettuce and press the top slices down gently. Cut in half. Eat immediately, or wrap in greaseproof paper for the journey.
Iceberg gets a bad reputation, but it's exactly right here. You want that cold, watery crunch against the soft prawns and the creamy sauce. Anything more delicate wilts under the weight of it.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the best prawns you can. Cold-water North Atlantic prawns are smaller but sweeter and firmer than the warm-water sort. If you can get them from a fishmonger rather than a plastic pouch, so much the better. You want prawns that taste of the sea, not the packaging.
- •The sauce improves if you make it ten minutes before you need it and let it sit in the fridge. The flavours settle and come together. It won't be the same if you mix it and immediately spoon it on.
- •Keep everything cold. Cold prawns, cold lettuce, cold sauce. This is a sandwich that relies on temperature as much as flavour. If it warms up, it loses its nerve.
- •For a picnic, wrap the sandwiches tightly in greaseproof paper and keep them in a cool bag. Make the sauce and dress the prawns before you leave, but build the sandwiches at the last moment if you can. The bread stays better for it.
Advance Preparation
- •The Marie Rose sauce can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated in a sealed jar. It thickens slightly overnight, which is no bad thing.
- •Do not dress the prawns until you are ready to assemble. They release water as they sit, and the sauce thins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 220g)
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