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Honey-glazed Prawns

Honey-glazed Prawns is a traditional Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman recipe for a starter of prawns cooked in an olive oil, honey and garum (fish sauce) base that are served with the thickened sauce flavoured with oregano. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Honey-glazed Prawns.

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

30 minutes

Serves:

2

Rating:

Tags : Sauce RecipesHerb RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Philoxenus of Cythera (435 BC-380 BC) was a Greek dithyrambic poet.

An anecdote about Philoxenus was preserved by Athenaeus in Deipnosophistai as a part of a pseudo-philosophical
collection with the title Chreiai by the third-century B.C.E. Hellenistic comic writer Machon. Philoxenus from Cythera was known as an innovator in music and poetry, he served at the court of Dionysius, a tyrant of Siracuse, and died in Ephesus in 380/379 B.C.E. Machon’s anecdote focuses on the famous trait of Philoxenus’s character – gluttony: it satirizes Philoxenus’s wish to enhance the length of his neck to prolong the enjoyment from the food he consumes.

Piloxenus is credited as the original author of a poem entitled ‘Deipnon’ (The Dinner). This extravagant Deipnon in verse, which have been preserved by Athenaeus, author of The Deipnosophists, probably intended as a satire on the luxury of the court of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse.

During the banquet, interminable dishes were consumed by the gigantic appetites of the guests: breads white as snow, fat eels and a conger eel to awake a god’s appetite; a ray fish, some tope, an electric ray, cuttlefishes, squids, octopuses, and a roasted lobster as large as the table; cuttlefishes dredged with flour; fried prawns (shrimp) with honey; desserts placed on green leaves and sweet – sour breads larger than a pot; an enormous chunk of roast tuna fish; a home raised pig’s belly, shoulder and kidneys; a kid’s roast head; lambs’ tripes, intestines, feet, head, noses seasoned with sylphium; boiled or roast kids and lambs; hares, chickens, partridges, and cushats; breads; golden honey with yogurt and fresh cheese; honey pies sprinkled with sesame seeds, cheese pies and fried desserts made with sesame seeds and cheese.

Many of these dishes, though known from other authors too, have no recipe associated with them. Here I am trying to re-create the honey-glazed prawns.

Garum (Fish sauce) (for its salt) and olive oil would undoubtedly have been among the ingredients, along with the honey. Oregano is suggested as the Greeks used it in seafood dishes. For the fish sauce substitute Thai Nam Pla as it's made with a similar method to the Roman version. Fish sauce is salty, so you won't want to add any extra salt.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

225g large raw prawns, peeled (thaw if frozen)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp garum (fish sauce)
1 tbsp clear honey
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Combine the oil, fish sauce and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the prawns and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes, until pink and tender (do not over-cook or they will become rubbery.)

Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside to keep warm.

Keep cooling the sauce until the volume has reduced by half. Stir in the chopped oregano then pour the sauce over the prawns.

Sprinkle with freshly-ground black pepper and serve as a first course with crusty bread and a simple salad ()
If using frozen prawns, ensure that they are well defrosted and drained. Place the oil, fish sauce and honey in a saucepan and add the prawns. Sauté them gently in the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes until they are tender. Remove with a perforated spoon and keep warm. Continue to cook the sauce until it has reduced by half. Add the chopped oregano and pour the sauce over the shrimps. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve as a first course with a crusty loaf of bread and a simple salad (Athenian Cabbage would be good and authentic).