Peter Gilmore shares the secret to restaurant-quality seafood at home

Chef Peter Gilmore has spent decades at the top of Australia’s fine dining scene, known for turning fresh, seasonal produce into some of the country’s most celebrated dishes.

Now, the acclaimed chef and Bennelong executive chef is bringing those skills into the home kitchen, stopping by Sunrise to show how simple techniques can transform everyday seafood into restaurant-quality meals.

Gilmore is cooking grilled king prawns with finger lime and chive beurre blanc, with a focus on mastering the butter sauce, he says can elevate even the most basic ingredients.

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The dish comes off the back of his recent “Seafood Sail” experience, where guests joined him from the Sydney Fish Market to a luxury yacht, highlighting just how much quality produce and a few key techniques can shape the final plate.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 6 king prawns split in half
• 20mls rice vinegar
• 20mls cream
• 150gms diced firm butter
• ½ bunch chives, finely sliced
• Flesh of 2 finger limes
• pinch sea salt
• pinch black pepper
• 30mls grapeseed oil

Method

1. For the butter sauce, scoop the flesh out of the finger limes with a teaspoon.
2. Finely slice the chives.
3. Add the rice vinegar and cream to a heavy-based saucepan, place over a moderate heat.
4. Using a whisk, slowly start adding the butter cubes a few at a time while whisking constantly.
5. Once all the butter has been added and melted, the sauce can be removed from the heat.
6. Continue whisking for 30 seconds, add the finger lime flesh and chives, and season with salt and pepper.
7. The butter sauce will sit happily for 10 minutes while you’re getting the prawns ready.
8. With a sharp knife, split the king prawns in half through the shell.
9. Remove the gut line.
10. Heat a non-stick pan or BBQ grill plate to a high heat, add grapeseed oil to the flesh side of the prawns, and season with sea salt.
11. Lay the prawns flesh side down on the hot grill and grill for 1 minute, then turn over to the shell side.
12. Cook for a further minute. Place the prawns on a platter and dress with the finger lime and chive beurre blanc.
13. Serve immediately.

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