Prawn rolls

Entertaining made easy: prawn brioche rolls

The prawn roll is Australia’s answer to Canada and New England’s lobster roll. It has the same creamy filling and fresh seafood and lemony flavours, but instead of lobsters, our prawn roll recipe uses … not surprisingly, prawns, caught fresh from the waters off Australia’s coastline. There’s not much to this recipe but if you want to get it spot on, we suggest following our hints and tips. 

The essential ingredients for a classic prawn brioche roll

Every ingredient in this easy prawns recipe is pulling its weight, adding that special something that comes together to create the whole Aussie experience. The mayonnaise provides the creamy tart flavour, the herbs give freshness and the celery and lettuce are there for crunch. The lemon pepper (found in the herbs and spices aisle) is listed as optional in the ingredients list but we suggest not skipping it – it lifts the fresh seafood flavours thanks to its citrus notes. 

Which prawns are best in prawn bread rolls?

To make this seafood recipe quick and easy, look for cooked prawns at the deli counter in Coles. Any variety of prawns works here but if you like a mild flavour that’s not overly ‘fishy’, go for banana prawns. If you like a big meaty flavour, go for tiger prawns (these have distinctive stripes). You can buy them peeled or unpeeled. Watch how to peel prawns for a few tips. 

Choosing the right bread rolls

You’ve invited friends over for lunch, and you’ve got the best prawns, now make sure you get the freshest bread rolls possible. You can use any rolls or even sliced bread (although then you’d have a prawn roll sandwich), but we think you can’t go past brioche prawn rolls. Brioche rolls taste slightly sweeter than regular bread rolls, are golden in colour and have a soft texture. They’re the perfect accompaniment to the creamy prawn filling. 

Step by step: how to make prawn rolls

Assembling the rolls is simple. Start by layering the lettuce into the roll to form a cup shape and then spoon the mixture in. We’ve chopped our prawns finely to make the rolls easier to eat (and to make sure there’s plenty of prawn in each bite). If you prefer the look of whole prawns, try a prawn cocktail slider recipe and follow the method. 

All that’s left to do now is serve your rolls and wait for the compliments to pour in … we suggest having more rolls and prawn mixture on hand so everyone can have seconds, too.