Tiger, Tiger burning bright!

I love big, fat, juicy Queensland prawns - in particular the different varieties of Kings, like the Ocean Kings and Red Spot King that are caught along the length of the Queensland coast. They are in plentiful supply right now. I also like cooking with the Black Tigers (pictured).

I recently read about a breakthrough by CSIRO scientists and the prawn industry in the breeding of aquaculture Black Tiger prawns.

Approximately fifty percent of all prawns sold in Australia are currently imported from China and Vietnam, so the development of an Australian prawn that breeds in captivity is a major gain for both the Queensland prawn industry and Australian consumers.

The prawns have beautifully textured meat and a rich colour. In the past two years, they have won five gold medals at Sydney's Royal Easter Show. If you want to learn more about Queensland prawns, the industry has an excellent web site, which I've listed below my recipe.

Gnocchi and Prawns in Tomato Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients
24 large prawns, shelled and de-veined
25ml vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce
500g Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced
or
1 small tin Italian peeled tomatoes, diced
1/2 large brown onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
18 large fresh basil leaves

Gnocchi
250g potatoes, preferably Kipfler, Bintje or another waxy style
25g butter
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup plain flour
2 pinches nutmeg
80g parmesan, grated
2 dessertspoons semolina

Method
Peel and boil potatoes until soft. Drain well and mash finely.
Add butter, egg yolks, flour, nutmeg, parmesan and semolina.
Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Bring 4L of lightly salted water to the boil in a heavy pot.
With a teaspoon, drop small amount of mixture into the water.
Use small amount at a time to avoid sticking.
After gnocchi is cooked (3-5 minutes) remove from pot with a slotted spoon and drop into cold water.
Warm olive oil in a heavy based pot. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add garlic and tomato. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Saute prawns in vegetable oil until almost cooked. Add tomato sauce, gnocchi and basil (retain 1/3 basil leaves and slice finely for garnish).
Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Divide evenly between 6 bowls.
Garnish and serve immediately.

Visit http://www.queenslandprawns.com/index.html