2 ripe cantaloupes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil

1/2 tsp (2 ml) grated lemon grass (available at asian food markets and some major grocery stores)

2 tbsp (25 ml) grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp (15 ml)minced shallots

1/2 cup (125 ml) fish stock or chicken stock

1/4 cup (50 ml) plus 1 tbsp (15 ml) sake (Japanese rice wine)

18 spot prawn tails, peeled

1lb (500g)dungeness crabmeat, cooked and picked over for cartilage

3 green onions, green part only, finely chopped

1/4 tsp (1 ml) sambal oelek or hot chili sauce

In a food processor or a blender, puree cantaloupe until smooth, 30 to 40 seconds. set aside.

Heat 1 tsp (5 ml) of the olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat.

Add lemon grass, ginger and half of the shallots and saute for about 1 minute. stir in fish (or chicken) stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve and discard any solids.

Return the stock to the saucepan, add the cantaloupe puree and the 1/4 cup (50 ml) of sake and reduce for 30 minutes on low heat.

Season with salt and pepper, being careful not to add too much salt. (the crabmeat is salty.)

Cover with a lid and keep warm on low heat.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat. add the remaining olive oil and shallots and saute for 1 minute.

Stir in spot prawns and the remaining sake and saute until spot prawns are just cooked, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add crabmeat and toss gently to warm through, then remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, gently combine green onions, sambal oelek (or chili sauce) and the seafood mixture.

To Serve: ladle hot cantaloupe soup into individual bowls. spoon one-sixth of the seafood mixture into the middle of each bowl, then serve and enjoy immediately.

serves 6.

These prawn cakes are perfect served as an appetizer or a first course. The flavor is so good, no sauce is necessary.  It ia a little overkill for the delicate flavour of spot prawns but

3 lbs. BC spot prawns

1½ T. Hunan red chile sauce (available in Asian section of supermarkets)

4 eggs

2 T. chopped parsley

2 tsp. lime juice

4 T. ranch dressing

1¾ cup panko bread crumbs

1 T. butter

Steps: Put 2 quarts of water into a 4-quart pot, add 2 T. salt, and bring to boil. Add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, drain the contents in a colander; set aside the prawns to cool. Remove the tails; discard the body. Peel the tails and remove the black vein. (Cleaned shrimp should yield about 1 pound). Coarsely chop the shrimp meat and set aside.

Put the chile sauce, eggs, parsley, lime juice and ranch dressing into a medium mixing bowl; mix well using a wire whisk. Add the shrimp meat, then panko. Mix well. Let the shrimp mixture rest for ½ hour before forming the shrimp cakes. To form the cakes, divide the mixture into eight equal balls, press each into a flattened cake; set aside on a large plate.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the prawn cakes to the pan (do not crowd the pan, do in batches). Cooking each cake 3 minutes, then turn and cook it 3 minutes more. The cakes will be golden brown when done. Serve immediately.

This dish was invented one night when I was craving some pasta, and it quickly went on the menu. The pasta is just coated rather than swimming in sauce. Serve this meal with a light Macon Chardonnay or a New Zealand Chardonnay.

convert Ingredients
2 1/2 cups garganelli or penne pasta
Olive oil

Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs thyme, plus 2 sprigs with leaves removed
1 teaspoon heavy cream (optional)
1/4 pound unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine lemon zest

Pasta Glaze
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 tablespoons julienned flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fine minced lemon zest

Prawns
12 large prawns, peeled
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small shallot, minced

Method

Prepare the Pasta
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente stage. Strain without rinsing the pasta. Toss with a small amount of olive oil. Spread on a flat baking sheet to air dry-this step allows the starch to remain on the pasta, which makes sauces cling better. You can do this ahead of time and store the pasta in resealable plastic bags.

Prepare the Sauce
1. In a small pot, combine vinegar, wine and the 4 sprigs thyme. Reduce to a syrupy consistency. Remove thyme sprigs. Whisk in cream-this step will prevent the sauce from separating. Remove from heat and whisk in butter a bit at a time. If sauce cools too much, return to low heat, but do not let it boil. When butter is incorporated, add lemon juice and zest along with thyme leaves to mixture. Season with salt. Keep warm.

Prepare the Pasta Glaze
1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, reduce stock by half. Whisk in butter. Add the pasta and toss to warm through. Add tomato, chives, parsley and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Prepare the Prawns
1. Season prawns with salt. In a nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is lightly smoking, add the prawns and quickly sauté. When prawns are pink on one side, add butter, garlic and shallot. Turn prawns and continue sautéing until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Assemble
1. Over low heat, add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the lemon and thyme sauce to the prawn juices. Toss until thoroughly warmed. Divide among 4 large bowls. Place 3 prawns on top of the pasta. Drizzle warm sauce on top of the prawns and around the plate.