Northern Ireland’s Kingdoms of Down offer a unique palette of spectacular scenery ranging from miles of pretty coastline to the famous Mountains of Mourne that run down to the sea. The Strangford Lough area, on the northeast coast, is especially beautiful, with quaint and picturesque towns dotting both sides of the Ards Peninsula, from Newtownards to Portaferry. At Kircubbin, on the west coast of the Ards, Finnegan’s Pub has been licensed for more than fifty years, after being converted from a nineteenth-century coaching house. Appearances can be deceiving, so once you get over the rough-around-the-edges interior furnishings, you’ll be impressed with the confident, simple, and beautifully unfussy approach to their food, especially their seafood. This prawn and bacon dish is delicious accompanied with a Potato Cake or boiled new potatoes.
SERVES 4
MUSTARD SAUCE
1 cup homemade fish stock, bottled clam juice, or 1 fish bouillon cube mixed with 1 cup boiling water
¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 teaspoons English-style mustard, preferably Coleman’s
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 streaky rashers (traditional Irish bacon), cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 pound prawns (jumbo shrimp), peeled and deveined
Lemon wedges for garnish
Dill sprigs for garnish
Potato Cakes or boiled new potatoes for serving
1 To make the mustard sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the fish stock or clam juice to a boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by half. Whisk in ½ cup of the cream and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Whisk in the mustard, the remaining ¼ cup of cream, and the parsley. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
2 In a large dry skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, or until crisp. Set aside.
3 In a large clean skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Stir in the prawns and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until they turn pink and are lightly browned. Stir in the reserved bacon and cook for 30 seconds, or until heated through.
4 To serve, place the prawns on a hot serving plate and spoon the mustard sauce over them. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh dill, and serve with potatoes.