Tacos with prawns

Serves 4

Warm the tortillas, lay on the prawns and top with the salsa and sprigs of coriander (Jason Lowe)

Most evenings in Mexico we ended up eating taco after taco filled with everything from minced beef to prawn and even tripe at one of the recommended street vendors. You can make your own tortillas or buy them ready-made.

16 large raw prawns, peeled (save the shells for a soup or stock)
1 lime
A few sprigs of coriander

For the salsa

1 small onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
2tbsp olive oil
2 medium red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the flour tortillas

225g plain flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
25g chilled lard, cut into small cubes
Approx 150-170ml warm water

To make the tortillas, sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, add the salt and rub the lard in with your fingertips until you get a breadcrumb-like consistency. Stir in enough water to make a fairly stiff dough then leave to rest for 20-30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 balls. On a lightly floured table roll out the dough into 14-16cm circles and leave to rest for another 30 minutes under a slightly damp tea towel. Heat a griddle or heavy-based frying pan and cook the tortillas in the dry pan for about 30-40 seconds on each side. When they are cooked keep them warm in a cloth or a plastic bag. You can keep the tortillas for a day or so in an airtight container or bag, then just re-heat briefly in a warm oven.

To make the salsa, heat the olive oil in a pan and gently cook the onion for a couple of minutes on a low heat with the chilli, stirring every so often. Remove from the heat, add the tomatoes and season. Blend a fifth of the salsa in a liquidiser then stir back into the salsa.

Pre-heat a ribbed griddle and lightly oil it. Season the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Warm the tortillas, lay on the prawns and top with the salsa and sprigs of coriander.