• Season the prawns with the paprika, chilli, salt and lime/lemon juice and set aside while you get the artichokes going.
  12-18 large tiger prawns, ½ tsp hot smoked paprika, pinch chilli flakes or chilli powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
• Peel and chop the artichokes into little cubes.
  500 g Jerusalem Artichokes
• Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
  30 g (1 Tbsp) butter
• Sauté the artichokes, leeks and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring frequently and lowering the heat down if they begin to brown at the edges.
  1 large leek, 1 clove garlic
• Add the stock and bay leaf and bring to boil. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes or so, until the artichokes are soft and almost falling apart.
  500 ml chicken or vegetable stock, 1 bay leaf
• Season with a little pepper and check salt content. You shouldn't need any salt.
  salt and pepper
• Transfer the whole lot into a blender and blitz to form a smooth puree.
• Transfer back into the warm saucepan.
• Loosen the crème fraîche with a ladle of the velouté, then add it to the contents of the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning but it should be perfect at this stage.
  100 ml crème fraîche
• Keep warm while you get the prawns done.
• Let's cook the prawns in batches, how many, depends on the size of your pan, we'll be quickly searing and charring the prawns.
• Heat the oil on high heat and when it's hot, add some of the prawns in and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side until just done. You want the skin slightly blackened, this will contribute to the final flavour.
  1 Tbsp olive oil or as needed
• Set aside and keep warm while you cook the rest of the prawns.

To serve

• Ladle the velouté into individual soup bowls and top with 2-3 prawns per person.
• Drizzle some chilli oil or sprinkle some chilli flakes over. Top with some fresh parsley and the crumbled toast for some contrast in texture.
  a drizzle of chilli oil or some chilli flakes, chopped fresh parsley, a slice of bread