Some members of my family are huge fans of the “Surf and Turf” cookbook, which led me to think about sauces complementing both the taste and texture of steak and yet still go well with seafood. So here are the sauces: a rich Dianne sauce with a hint of bite and a beautifully creamy pepper sauce. I little hint: to crush the peppercorns, simply lay them between two layers of plastic wrap and smack with a heavy pan – how simple is that?

2 tablespoons butter

1 kg green prawns, peeled and de-veined

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns, roughly crushed

A generous splash of brandy

250mls thickened cream

1 tablespoon chopped chives

(1) In a large non-stick frypan, heat one tablespoon of butter over a low to medium heat. Add the peeled and de-veined prawns and the crushed peppercorns. Stir-fry until the prawns are pink – this should only take a couple of minutes. Transfer the prawns to a plate and place to one side.

(2) Heat the remaining butter in the pan over a low heat and then add brandy. Continue to cook until the brandy has almost evaporated. Stir in the cream and increase the heat slightly. Stir well to incorporate the brandy and the cream and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened. Return the prawns to the pan. Tumble the prawns through the sauce to coat them.

(3) To serve, spoon a portion of the Prawns with Pepper Sauce into a serving bowl, sprinkle with the chopped chives and add heaps of fresh crusty bread to the flavour equation.

3 tablespoons butter

1 kg green prawns, peeled and deveined.

1 clove garlic, finely crushed

125ml dry white wine

A generous squeeze of lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

A good grinding of black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

(1) In a large non-stick frypan, heat a tablespoon of butter over a medium heat. Add about half of the prawns and cook until they are pink. Transfer the prawns to a bowl and keep to one side. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and cook the remainder of the prawns. Transfer these prawns to the bowl as well.

(2) Heat a tablespoon of butter in the pan and add the clove of crushed garlic. Stir-fry for about a minute or until aromatic. Add the wine, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper. Bring the pan to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, stir the pan well, incorporating all the bits on the bottom of the pan into the sauce. Pop the chopped parsley into the sauce and stir. Return the cooked prawns to the pan and tumble well to cover with the sauce.

(3) Serve the prawns in individual serving bowls. As with the previous recipe, serve with lots of bread to mop up the delicious sauce. Yum!

The seafood in these recipes was supplied by Princess Charlotte Seafoods, ph: (07) 3265 9175