having got completely over-excited about roasted broccoli with lemon, parmesan, pine nuts and basil (aka best broccoli) and having eaten it a bit too often in recent weeks, i was keen to try melissa clerk’s roasted broccoli with prawns, which has recently caught the wednesday chef’s imagination.

given it’s a roast broccoli dish you might struggle to get it onto the menu if you are cooking for someone who is pleading for less ‘best broccoli’ but be sneaky, it’s quite different and worth a try.

the difference comes from the flavourings - in this case coriander and cumin seeds plus a bit of chilli add a wonderful spiciness. lemon is still involved adding its lovely summery zing which brightens all the other flavours. the prawns taste great roasted and david and i happily polished off a huge serving each.

we ate it with warm bruschetta which didn’t quite work. rice or flat breads seem the more obvious answer. or would you suggest something else?

melissa clerk’s roasted broccoli with prawns (serves 4)

900g broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds*

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds*

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (use a lot less if using normal salt)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder (i used chilli flakes)

450g large prawns, shelled and deveined

zest from a lemon

lemon wedges, for serving

preheat oven to 220c.

in a large bowl, toss the broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 of teaspoon salt (or less if using non-kosher salt), ½ a teaspoon of pepper and the chili powder. in a separate bowl, combine the prawns, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, and the remaining salt and pepper.

spread the broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. roast for 10 minutes. add the prawns to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. roast, tossing once halfway through, until the prawns are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more. serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

* i crushed these before adding them to the dish