Gordon Ramsay’s prawn salad is his modern take on the classic prawn cocktail. King prawns sit on cucumber and shredded baby gem, dressed in a spicy yoghurt dressing made with fish sauce, sweet chilli, lime and natural yoghurt. It serves 4 and takes about 15 minutes.
The recipe comes from Gordon’s Ultimate Home Cooking, where he says the old ketchup-and-mayo cocktail sauce is “too heavy and gloopy” for modern tastes. His Asian-inspired dressing is lighter, sharper and more interesting, which is why it works so well for picnics and summer lunches.
The trick is dressing in two stages: a tablespoon goes in the bowl first as a base, then the rest pours over just before serving. The prawns absorb flavour while they sit, but the lettuce stays crisp because it only meets the dressing at the last minute.
Gordon Ramsay’s Prawn Salad
Course: SaladCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes150
kcal15
minutesEasy
A modern, lighter prawn cocktail from Gordon’s Ultimate Home Cooking. Spicy yoghurt dressing with fish sauce and lime replaces the old-fashioned Marie Rose sauce. Around £2 per serving.
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
400g (14 oz) king prawns, cooked and peeled
1 large cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced
2 baby gem lettuces, shredded
- For the Dressing:
1 to 1½ tbsp fish sauce, to taste
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp golden caster sugar
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
Directions
- Make the dressing: Put 1 tablespoon of fish sauce in a bowl and add the sweet chilli sauce, lime zest, lime juice and sugar. Mix well, then stir in the yoghurt a spoonful at a time. Taste and add a little more fish sauce if it needs more depth.
- Layer the base: Spoon 1 tablespoon of the dressing into a salad bowl. Sit the prawns, cucumber and shredded lettuce on top. Cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Dress and serve: Just before serving, pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss well so everything is evenly coated. Serve straight away.
FAQs
What should I serve this prawn salad with?
It works as a light lunch on its own, but for a fuller meal try it alongside warm naan bread or some crusty sourdough to soak up the dressing. The Asian flavours also pair well with teriyaki salmon if you want a bigger seafood spread.
Can I use frozen prawns?
Yes, and that’s how most people in the UK buy king prawns anyway. Just make sure they’re fully defrosted and patted dry with kitchen paper before adding them to the salad, because excess water dilutes the dressing and makes everything watery.
Ramsay specifies cooked and peeled king prawns, so the ready-to-eat bags from Tesco or Sainsbury’s (around £3.50 for 200g) work perfectly here.
How is this different from a classic prawn cocktail?
Traditional prawn cocktail uses Marie Rose sauce, which is ketchup mixed with mayonnaise. Ramsay calls that combination “too heavy and gloopy” and swaps it for an Asian-inspired dressing built on fish sauce, sweet chilli, lime and yoghurt. It’s lighter, sharper and more refreshing.
Mary Berry’s version sticks with the classic Marie Rose approach, so the two recipes sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Ramsay’s is the modern one.
Can I make this ahead for a picnic?
Yes, and Ramsay designs it with exactly that in mind. He suggests making the dressing in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, then keeping the salad and dressing separate until you’re ready to eat. The undressed salad holds in the fridge for a few hours without any issues.
Once dressed though, the lettuce wilts within about an hour, so save the tossing for the last minute. A chicken salad is a sturdier picnic option if you need something that sits out longer.
What else can I do with this dressing?
The spicy yoghurt dressing works just as well as a dip for spring rolls, a drizzle over grilled chicken, or a sauce for rice noodle bowls. Ramsay uses similar fish sauce and lime combinations across several books, so if you like this flavour profile his Thai green curry builds on the same base. For more of his seafood salad recipes, see the full collection.
