A couple of weeks ago I was gifted with the latest release of Van Loveren’s Perlé de Jean. This summer sipper first caught my attention last year, when Van Loveren released the maiden vintage of South Africa’s first Perlé-styled Pinot Grigio Rosé. Paying tribute to the Retief family’s late matriarch, Jean Retief. The striking label honours her love for gardening, reflecting the lush and colourful history of the gardens at Van Loveren.
A couple of months ago we spent some quality time in the Robertson Wine Valley, home of Van Loveren. One of the most memorable experiences was a visit and tour of the gorgeous Gardens, where every tree tells a story, interweaving the family history with that of our beautiful country. If you venture out that way of the valley, be sure to pop in for a visit!
But, I digress, as usual!
With the 2019 release of the Perlé de Jean the media release stated the following:
“The salmon-pink wine launched last year by Van Loveren Family Vineyards to great acclaim for its vivacious taste and elegant design. The wine quickly became the sunshine beverage to enjoy, especially when seafood’s on the menu. Perlé de Jean is just perfect with prawns, whether they’re flame-grilled on a stick, marinated, spiced, curried, or served in pasta or smothered in paprika aioli.”
Well, you got me at ‘prawns’! Van Loveren did share some pretty mouthwatering Perlé-And-Prawn recipes (see links below), but the Man in The Kitchen at The End Of The Universe aka my husband Jan got the inspired idea of adding a bit of a twist. (Follow his culinary adventures here: https://www.instagram.com/smulpape/) We’re going to make a classic Prawn Po’ Boy!
I spent some time in the US of A a while ago, wayyyy before the Rule of the Trumpinator – thank goodness. Although I didn’t have the opportunity to visit Louisiana, this humble fare luckily wasn’t limited to one region only, so that is when I got my first taste of this famed sandwich.
Traditionally, you can find roast beef, ham, chicken or fried seafood on a Po’ Boy. In my opinion, the shrimp Po’ Boy is by far the most well-known version. What they call ‘shrimp’, we call ‘prawns’ instead, mainly due to the difference in size. Because everything is bigger in ‘Murica. Doing a bit of research about the origin of this sandwich, it is difficult to get consensus on where the name came from. The most popular view is that in the late 1920’s, during a four-month-long workers strike, a local spot “Martin Brothers’ Coffee Stand and Restaurant” showed their support by giving a free meal (usually a sandwich) to the striking workers. Apparently, every time the brothers served one of these workers, they would yell “Here comes another Poor Boy”! (reference www.whereyat.com) Local dialect changed to “Po’ Boy” and that is where (one of the) legends started.
Okay, I’m hungry now! Let’s get to it!
Jan used a recipe from The Spruce Eats, with a few tweaks.
400g prawn meat (short cut taken here!)
250 ml milk
125 ml Pick ‘n Pay brand peri-peri sauce (will add more next time!)
1 egg
500 ml all-purpose flour
1 heaped teaspoon Cape Herb & Spice Company Louisiana Cajun seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
250 ml mayonnaise
1 tablespoon paprika
Vegetable oil to deep fry
French bread, lettuce and tomato to serve
- In a large bowl, whisk milk, peri-peri sauce and egg together
- Add prawns and let stand for about 5 minutes (we left it for longer)
- In another bowl, mix flour, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pan to about 200 Celsius
- Mix paprika and mayonnaise and set aside
- Remove prawns from milk mixture and roll in flour mixture, make sure it is covered thoroughly
- Deep fry the shrimp in batches (be careful not to overcrowd the pan) for about 3 minutes until golden brown
- Once cooked, remove the prawns from oil and drain
- Cut French bread lengthwise and split
- Spread one half with the paprika mayonnaise. Top the other half with lettuce and tomato slices.
- Arrange fried prawns and enjoy with a chilled glass of Perlé de Jean!
More about Van Loveren Perlé de Jean:
Van Loveren introduces SA’s first Pinot Grigio Rosé, Perlé de Jean
Welcome The Sun This Season With Van Loveren’s Awesome Perlé-And-Prawn Combo #PR