Summer Dish: Otahuna Grilled Tiger Prawns and Sweet Corn Soup

Smells, like music, have strong memory triggers for some travelers. One whiff of a freshly baked baguette, and you are instantly transported back to the winding streets of Paris; a hint of fresh lime and chili conjures visions of noodles frying at the open-air stands in Bangkok. One of our favorite rituals after a trip abroad is coming home to our kitchen and whipping up a notable dish from our travels. We've made curries from India, souvlaki from Greece and, most recently, this avocado, lime and tiger prawn dish from Otahuna Lodge in New Zealand.

Click through the photo gallery for a glimpse of the full menu from our stay at the lovely Christchurch property.

Avocado, Lime and Tiger Prawns With Sweet Corn Soup

Yields 4 Servings

Prawns

• 8 tiger prawns (raw)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Flaky sea salt, like Maldon, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions: Lightly season prawns with salt and black pepper. Heat a medium sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and, once the oil is heated, add the prawns. Cook the prawns for about one minute on each side or until done. Place the cooked prawns onto a plate and set aside, keeping warm for plating.

Sweet Corn Soup

• 4 ears sweet corn, kernels cut from ear (about 2 cups), cob reserved
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups corn stock (see below)
• Flaky sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

For the corn: Cut the corn kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife. Stand the corn on its end, slicing from top to bottom. Continue until all the corn is removed.

For the corn stock: Bring 4 cups water to a simmer. Add the corn cobs. Simmer cobs for 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve and put aside.

For the corn soup: Place the butter and olive oil into a saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and sweat gently until soft, adding no color. Add the corn kernels and sweat without adding color for 5 minutes or until the corn is soft. Add enough corn stock to cover the onions and kernels and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the mixture into a blender. (You may divide the mixture into multiple batches, depending on the size of your blender.) Purée until the soup is smooth and creamy, adding additional corn stock if necessary for desired texture. Strain through a sieve. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Place aside in a covered saucepan until ready to reheat for plating.

Lime and Avocado

• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 lime, zest and juice reserved
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil, in a squeeze bottle, to garnish
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: When both the corn soup and prawns have been prepared, peel and dice the avocado finely and place into a small mixing bowl. Zest the lime and chop finely; juice the lime. Add the zest to the avocado along with a generous pinch of salt, pepper and the lime juice. Mix well.

To Plate

Using a teaspoon, spoon 1/4 of the avocado mixture into a round ring mold or cookie cutter (about 1 inch in diameter) at the base of a serving bowl. Gently press down until the avocado mixture is about 3/4 inch high. Repeat for each serving bowl. (Alternatively, simply spoon 1/4 of the avocado mixture into the base of four serving bowls without a ring mold.)

Reheat the corn soup and prawns if necessary.

Place two prawns atop the avocado mixture, interlinking the prawns. Ladle 1/4 of the soup around the avocado for each serving. To finish, drizzle with avocado oil. Enjoy!

Pairs well with a New Zealand Canterbury Riesling.

A big thank you to Executive Chef Jimmy McIntyre and Otahuna Lodge for being such gracious hosts!