Chef Dewa’s Prawn Technique: Fire, Butter, and the East End
Nourish by The Roundtree Staff
A great plate of jumbo prawns comes down to two things: the size of the prawn and what happens to it over the fire.
Chef Dewa Wijaya’s Flame-Grilled Jumbo Prawns is one of the signature dishes on the Nourish menu, paired with chickpea carrot puree, Balsam Farm sweet corn, pickled shallots, and toasted almonds. The dish looks simple on the plate. The technique behind it is not.
The prawn
Nourish uses jumbo prawns for this dish. Size matters here more than people expect. A smaller shrimp cooks through almost instantly, which leaves no room for char to develop before the inside overcooks. A jumbo prawn gives the cook time. The outside can blister and color while the inside stays just short of done.
The fire
The prawns go over an open flame, high heat, briefly. This is not a low-and-slow preparation. The goal is char on the shell and a quick, even cook on the flesh.
Timing is the technique. Pulled too early, the prawn is undercooked at the center. Left too long, the jumbo size that gave the dish its margin for error works against it, and the flesh turns tough. Chef Dewa reads the prawn by how the flesh begins to curl, not by the clock.
The plate
What surrounds the prawn on the plate is where the East End comes through. The chickpea carrot puree gives the dish a smooth, earthy base. Sweet corn from Balsam Farm in Amagansett adds a hit of seasonal sweetness that plays against the char from the grill. Pickled shallots bring acidity, and toasted almonds add texture.
Each element is doing a specific job: richness, sweetness, acid, crunch. Together they’re built to support the prawn rather than compete with it.
How Chef Dewa grills the prawns
Start with jumbo prawns, for the size and the protection the technique depends on.
Cook over an open flame, high heat, for a short time, until it chars and colors.
Read the prawn by sight, pulling it when the flesh just begins to curl, rather than by the clock.
Rest it briefly, then plate over the chickpea carrot puree with the sweet corn, pickled shallots, and toasted almonds.
Why it works
This dish reflects the broader philosophy behind the Nourish menu. Chef Dewa’s training is classical French, but his instincts are shaped by Bali, and the East End provides the ingredients that tie it together. The prawn preparation is direct and technique-driven. The accompaniments are seasonal and locally sourced. Nothing on the plate is there by accident.
It’s a dish that rewards the kind of attention Chef Dewa puts into it: a short list of components, each handled with precision.
