Dublin Bay Prawns with Mayonnaise (Irish)

This simple preparation, sometimes found in seafood restaurants, especially along Ireland's southern and southeastern coasts, is a vast improvement on generic shrimp salad.

kosher salt
40 (~ 2 lbs) fresh raw Dublin bay prawns (langoustines or scampi), in their shells (1 kg)
½ lemon, freshly squeezed
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, preferably homemade
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

To Serve:
toasted white bread or shredded lettuce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Put the prawns in the pot, return the water to a boil, then immediately drain the prawns in a colander and refresh with cold water.

Twist the heads and claws off the prawns, then pull the meat out of each shell in one piece. (Save the heads, claws, and shells to make stock for later use, or add to fish when making Fish Stock). Set the meat aside to cool to room temperature.

With a small knife or shrimp deveiner, remove the vein from the back of each prawn, then rinse the prawns and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Combine the prawns, lemon juice, freshly squeezed, mayonnaise, chives, and salt to taste in a medium bowl and toss to coat the prawns thoroughly with mayonnaise.

Serve atop toasted white bread or shredded lettuce, if you like.

Makes 4 servings.