Warm asparagus salad with mint-cranberry gremolata and prawns

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1,250 g asparagus tips
• ¼ bunch mint
• 40 g cranberries, dried, unsulfured, sweetened
• 1 lime(s)
• 2 tbsp hazelnut oil approx.
• 1 vanilla pod(s)
• 20 g butter
• 120 ml port wine, white
• Sea salt
• cane sugar
• pepper
• 1 shot of vinegar, milder, fruitier (e.g. passion fruit)
• 1 chili pepper(s)
• 40 shrimp(s)
• some oil, neutral

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Clean the prawns, remove their guts, rinse, and pat dry. Marinate with the finely chopped chili pepper and a little neutral oil. (I let the chili simmer in the oil for at least an hour beforehand; the amount of oil is just enough so the prawns shine but don’t float, so I can transfer them from the bowl to the dry, hot pan.) Chop the cranberries, rinse the mint, and finely chop them. Zest the lime and mix the zest with the cranberries and mint, seasoning with sea salt and cane sugar. Trim the asparagus and cut diagonally into suitable pieces. It’s best to put the tips in a separate bowl; they take less time to cook. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add the hazelnut oil and butter, along with the seeds and seeds, to a nonstick pan and let it foam. Add the asparagus pieces and fry briefly. Reserve the tips for a while and add them a few minutes later. Pour in the white port and simmer for 3-4 minutes with the lid on. Season with salt and pepper and add a little vinegar. Transfer to a bowl and toss with about half of the cranberry-mint gremolata. Wipe out the pan and fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle the shrimp with lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the shrimp on top of the asparagus and sprinkle with the remaining gremolata. This recipe makes 8 servings when served as an appetizer in a multi-course meal.