Air-Fryer Spiced Prawn Tacos

The prawn taco is one of those dishes that punches several weight classes above its preparation difficulty. Twenty minutes of work delivers something that tastes like the kind of beach-shack lunch you'd write home about — and the home version costs about a third what you'd pay at the restaurant. The air fryer makes it even faster, because cooking prawns properly is the only tricky bit and the air fryer handles that perfectly.

Prawns (or shrimp, in American English) cook in six minutes flat in the basket at 200°C. They go from translucent grey to opaque pink with a slightly curled shape; pull them at exactly that point or they go rubbery. The spice rub — paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic, chili — develops a slight char on the outside that adds smokiness without needing actual smoke.

The photo shows the assembly: two soft flour tortillas slightly overlapping on a metal serving plate, piled with spiced prawns, sliced avocado, sliced beetroot (the magenta visible against the green and pink), torn fresh coriander, lime wedges scattered, and a small bowl of the yogurt sauce — pale, dotted with green herbs. The contrast is the dish — heat from the prawns, cool from the yogurt and avocado, citrus from the lime, earthy sweetness from the beetroot.