When it comes to summer wardrobe essentials, the classics, like swimwear, summer dresses, sandals, and SPF sunscreen, are the first for us to tick off our must-have list. They’re the easiest pieces to throw together for a full outfit, leaving us with plenty of time to crack on with our summer activities. So when it comes to summer snacks, we like to take the same no-fuss, easy-fix approach we do with getting dressed, and no dish takes the cake quite like a bucket of cold prawns.
Served on a bed of crushed ice dressed and ready to serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon is all we need to satisfy our cravings and fuel up after a day’s dip in the pool or sea, but if you want to take this little appetiser up a notch, Lucy Tweed’s recipe for a bloody good Bloody Mary Aioli dipping sauce is just the thing to make mouths water. Prepare the sauce in advance, refrigerate overnight and then don’t forget to pop it in your cooler bag or esky and dish it up at your next beach picnic or barbeque.

Photo credit: William Meppem
Ingredients:
Serves 12 as an appetiser
- 24 large prawns, cooked and peeled, with the tail kept on
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup toum
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1-2 tsps Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 10 cm celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 birds eye chilli, finely diced (optional)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Pepper, to serve
Crushed or shaved ice, to serve
Method:
1. To make the aioli, combine the mayo, toum, tomato sauce, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, celery and chilli.
2. Serve with chilled peeled prawns, on crushed ice with lemon wedges.
Tip: ask your fishmonger for some shaved ice in a fresh bag for serving.
Picnic essentials
Also on our list for summer entertaining essentials: a picnic blanket packed with a good rug and reusable picnic cups and cutlery, portable speakers, and drinking games for the adults.
Lucy Tweed is a Sydney-based food and recipe writer, stylist and creator of Every Night Of The Week. For more meal inspiration, check out her new cookbook and follow @everynightoftheweek on Instagram.
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