Prawns and smoked oysters in tomato sauce with rice

Serves four

• 250g basmati rice
• 0 black pepper
• 60g olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 strips lemon skin
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 800g plum tomatoes
• 200g vegetable stock
• 200g peeled raw king prawns
• 14 smoked oysters
• 15g coriander leaves

Step 1
If you’re feeling mega-organised, make double the amount of sauce (up to the point before you add the seafood and herbs) and keep half in the freezer, ready for a future meal.

Step 2
Put the rice in a medium saucepan for which you have a lid, add a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then pour over 500ml cold water and bring to a boil.

Step 3
Turn the heat to medium, cover and cook for eight minutes, shaking the pan every once in a while.

Step 4
Turn off the heat and leave the rice, still covered, to finish cooking for 10 minutes.

Step 5
It should be soft and fluffy.

Step 6
Heat the oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame.

Step 7
Fry the onion for five to six minutes, until golden-brown, then add the garlic, cumin, lemon skin and tomato paste, and fry, stirring, for another minute.

Step 8
Add the tomatoes, stock, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and bring to a boil.

Step 9
Turn down the heat to medium and leave to cook for 20 minutes, stirring a few times, until the sauce is thick and the tomatoes have broken down.

Step 10
Add the prawns to the sauce, stir through for a minute, until almost cooked, then stir in the oysters and their oil, and cook for a final minute.

Step 11
Take off the heat, stir in the coriander and serve with the rice.