Prawn Chilli Tomato Broth

A warming way to use leftover escabeche prawns

This prawn, chilli and tomato broth is everything I want on a cool Andalusian afternoon: light yet deeply flavoured, rustic but refined, and built on the kind of ingredients most of us already have. It’s also the perfect way to use any leftover prawns from my Boxing Day Prawn Escabeche, adding a lovely sweet seafood note to a broth enriched with veal stock, pearl barley and kale.

Somewhere between Spanish coastal cooking and a modern one‑pot winter warmer, this bowl is brothy, bright and quietly nourishing.

Ingredients
(Serves 1–2)

• Olive oil or butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stick, diced
• 1 small turnip, diced (optional but lovely)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• ½–1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 500–600 ml veal stock (light or medium)
• Small handful pearl barley (about 40–50 g)
• A few leftover prawns
• A handful of kale, chopped
• A splash of Worcestershire sauce or soy
• Sea salt & pepper
• Optional: a knob of butter or swirl of cream to finish

Method

1. Build a flavour base
   Warm a pot with olive oil or butter. Add the onion, leek, carrot, celery and turnip with a pinch of salt. Sweat gently until everything softens and turns sweet — this is the foundation of a good tomato and prawn broth.
2. Add garlic, chilli and tomato
   Stir in the garlic and chilli for a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens; this step deepens the broth and balances the heat.
3. Add veal stock and pearl barley
   Pour in the veal stock and add the pearl barley. Simmer for 25–30 minutes until the barley is tender but still pleasantly chewy. This gives the soup its hearty, stew‑like body.
4. Add kale and prawns
   Stir in the kale and cook for 3–5 minutes.

• If your prawns are raw, add them now and cook until just pink.
• If using leftover escabeche prawns, add them right at the end so they warm gently without toughening.

1. Season and enrich
   Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and a splash of Worcestershire or soy for extra umami. Finish with a knob of butter or a swirl of cream if you want a rounder, silkier broth.

Serving
Ladle into a deep bowl and finish with a drizzle of olive oil or a few slices of fresh chilli. The pearl barley adds comfort, the veal stock adds elegance, and the prawns bring a bright coastal lift — a simple bowl with surprising depth.

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Footnote: Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef.