How to Make a Bahamian Style Prawn Burger

The Bahamas has some of the best seafood to offer and there are some interesting and exotic kinds out there.

I have seen various sandwiches made with fried conch which is a mollusc with an amazing looking shell. Unfortunately, it would be near impossible to get a hold of one of those where I live. So, I got the next best thing – some juicy king prawns.

As ever we will be making the buns from scratch. This must be the simplest burger bun recipe I have ever made. No folding, no pre-shaping. We simply proof it, divide it, do the final shaping followed by the final proof and baking. Could not get any easier than this.

The other fillings compliment the crispy prawns without overpowering them too much. A nice fresh slaw with a bit of spice from bird chillies. If you are not a chilli head, then leave them out. The simple burger sauce also has a bit of spice which you can adjust to your liking.

This recipe is for 4 burgers.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the buns

250g (8.8oz) all-purpose flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.12oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.31oz) fresh yeast

20g (0.7oz) soft butter

20g (0.7oz) sugar

1 egg, around 50g (1.75oz)

90g (3.2oz) cold milk

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

 

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of milk for glazing

 

For the prawns –

350g (12.5oz) shelled king prawns

1 egg

80g (2.8oz) milk

200g (7oz) flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

10g (0.35oz) Cajun spice

3g (0.1oz) garlic powder

3g (0.1oz) onion powder

 

For the sauce –

100g (3.5oz) ketchup

100g (3.5oz) mayonnaise

10g (0.35oz) lime juice

30g (1oz) hot sauce

*Mix everything & leave on the side.

 

For the slaw –

Thinly sliced cabbage

Grated carrot

Thinly sliced red onions

Chopped spring onions

Lime juice

Bird chillies

Mayonnaise

Salt & pepper

*You can adjust the mount of each ingredient to your liking.

Method

  1. Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the milk, egg, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and salt, and to hydrate the yeast. Add the butter and the flour. Mix to a dough.
  2. Tip the dough out on your table and knead it for 5 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
  3. Cover and ferment for 2.5 hours.
  4. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape into balls.
  5. Place on a non-stick paper lined baking tray. Cover and ferment for 2 – 2.5 hours or until doubled in size. *During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
  6. Brush the buns with the egg yolk & milk glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  7. Bake for around 25 minutes. Leave to cool down for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Mix the slaw while the buns are cooling. Leave on the side.
  9. Once the buns have cooled down slice them in half and brush each half with butter. Toast in a hot pan until golden.
  10. Fry the prawns last. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix the egg and milk in another. Coat the prawns in the egg & milk mix. Dust them in the dry mix. Do not add too many prawns to the flour at once to avoid lumps from forming. I was working with 10 prawns at a time.
  11. Fry the prawns for 2 – 3 minutes at 180C (360F) until golden brown. Drain them on kitchen paper.

 

Assemble your burger and enjoy! Check out some more Baking World Tour videos while you’re at it.

 

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

 

Watch the video here

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