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Summer Recipe: Ben Purton’s Jerk Prawns & Blackened Aubergine


From Charlotte Jones on


Last week we had a chat to The Royal Horseguard’s One Twenty One Two executive chef, Ben Purton, who offers Londoners and visitors alike the opportunity to enjoy the very best of British cuisine, for a very reasonable price. Purton was also kind enough to give us his secret recipes to two dishes on the restaurant’s current summer menu – grilled jerk prawns and Blackened Aubergine with rosemary bread, saffron infused yogurt and pomegranate. Check out the recipes below and read all about Purton’s career, the summer menu, and his upcoming TV appearance in An Interview With Chef Ben Purton.
Grilled Jerk Prawns
Grilled Jerk Prawns
Grilled Jerk Prawns - Serves 2
For the Jerk marinade take two scotch bonnet peppers (one if you prefer less spice and three if you’re on fire), half a medium onion, two spring onions, pinch of chopped parsley and thyme leaves, 2 tsp brown sugar, juice of one orange, 50ml soy sauce and blitz in a small blender until well combined.
Take 12 tiger prawns with head, shell and vein removed and place in a bowl and top with the jerk marinade, mix well and leave for 30 minutes.
Now you can either skewer the prawns and char grill on a bbq, place spaced out on a tray and oven bake at 180 degrees C or sauté in a little olive oil. All will need turning half way through cooking and will take approx 4-5 minutes depending on the size of the prawns.
Serve with a rocket salad, lemon, lime and orange wedges, crusty sourdough and a glass of Whispering Angel Rose.
Blackened Aubergine with Rosemary Bread, Saffron Infused Yogurt, Pomegranate
Blackened Aubergine with Rosemary Bread, Saffron Infused Yogurt, Pomegranate
Blackened Aubergine, rosemary bread, saffron infused yogurt, pomegranate - Serves 2
Blacken two medium aubergines over an open flame and then finish cooking on a tray in an oven at 180 degrees C until softened (10-15 minutes). Remove and allow to cool.
Mix 5-6 tbsp of natural yogurt with a pinch of saffron and a grip of black pepper and loosen if needed with a little water so that it is at a pouring consistency.
Remove 80% of the blackened skin from the aubergines (the remaining charred skin adds a depth and smokiness to the flavour) and the chop the aubergines as finely as possible.
Place the aubergines in a bowl, add 20ml of good olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped parsley and coriander, 1 finely chopped red chilli and the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste and set aside to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
Drizzle 4 slices of rosemary bread (Sainsburys do a great one by la brea) with olive oil and grill until golden. Place one piece of toasted bread on a serving dish and spoon on a quarter of the aubergine mix on top, add the other piece of toast and another quarter of the aubergine.
Spoon over the saffron yogurt and scatter the plate with some pomegranate seeds
Finish with a lemon wedge, a few leaves of rocket and a drizzle of olive oil
For more seasonal recipes check out our Eat with the Season: June/July guide.
To book a table or find out more information about One Twenty One Two, visit the Guoman website.



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Stuck for what to cook tonight? Try one of these dishes c/o Chef Ben Purton/The Royal Horseguards