The perfect, light, fun, canape or light starter. These finger-food-sized tarts are loaded with prawns (or brown shrimp if you can get your hands on them) and offset with a lovely parsley, onion, cream sauce topped off with a sweet cheese (gruyere, emmental, or manchego) which is also baked into the pastry case to give it that extra little crunch.

Prawn Tartlets

Prep Time: 30 Mins

Cook Time: 30 Mins

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 12 tiny or 6 small tartlets

Ingredients

  • Onion - 1

  • Garlic - 1 tsp (heaped)

  • Double Cream - 100g

  • Mustard - 1 tsp

  • Gruyere or other sweet cheese - 100g

  • Small prawns or brown shrimp - 100g

  • Parsley - a bunch of

Pastry (either buy 400g of shortcrust pastry or ingredients to make it below)

  • Plain Flour - 220g

  • Unsalted Butter - 100g (chilled)

Method

Prawn Tartlets Step One - Pastry

if you’re making the pastry yourself, add the flour to a bowl. Cube the butter and add it to the flour.

Stir together using a knife / spatula until the butter is coated (you do this so not to unnecessarily warm the butter), once coated, using your hands gently rub the butter-flour mix through your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add a couple of tablespoons of cold water and using the knife / spatula stir together to combine (use your hands if you need to), if not combining add a little more water and continue.

Once combined, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 30 mins.

 

Prawn Tartlets Step Two - Tray Lining

Lightly grease the tray moulds with butter, sprinkle in 25g of the finely grated cheese. Gently shake / turn the tray to cover each mould with the cheese and then turn vertically and tap to remove any excess cheese.

 

Prawn Tartlets STEP Three - I rest my case

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (200°C for non-fan ovens).

Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll the pastry until it’s fairly thin (around the depth of a 50p coin) - it can be a bit thicker if you’re using making larger tarts. Using either pastry cutters or the edge of a glass, cut the pastry slightly wider than the mould.

Place the pastry into the cheese-lined moulds, gently press in place and using a fork gently pierce the bottom. Set aside for later.

 

Prawn Tartlets STEP Four - Saucy

Thinly dice the onion and garlic and place into a pan with a knob of butter. Cook on a low heat until the onions go translucent. Add the cream, mustard, most of the parsley (finely chopped), 50g of grated gruyere, the prawns, and a little seasoning. Cook until warmed through.

Whilst this is warming add the pastry tart casings to the oven for 10 minutes (uncovered) to open bake.

 

Prawn Tartlets STEP Five - Fully Loaded

Once the tart casings have been open baked, remove and fill with the prawn-cream mixture. Top the tarts with the remaining 25g of finely grated gruyere, some seasoning, and the remaining parsley.

Return the tartlets to the oven and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

 

Prawn Tartlets STEP SIX - Prawn Tartlets

Prawn Tartlets

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer and serve.

And that’s it, hope you enjoy!