Chilli & Lemon, pancetta and Prawn tramezzini (finger sandwiches)

With

Silvia Colloca

Venetian aperitivo tramezzini with chilli-lemon prawns and crisp pancetta. Crusts off.

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About this recipe

Silvia Colloca's tramezzini. Soft white bread layered with prawns dressed in chilli and lemon, pancetta crisped to a thin shard, made into Italian finger sandwiches. Served at every Venetian bar at aperitivo hour, scaled for a home plate. Crusts off, of course.

Tramezzini are the Italian crustless triangular sandwiches that have lived in Venetian and Trieste bars since the 1920s when Caffe Mulassano in Turin invented the format. The defining structural feature is the soft, white pan loaf (pane in cassetta, the pull-apart sandwich bread that's distinct from the more rustic Italian bread tradition), the fillings layered slightly thick to create a generous, almost dome-shaped sandwich rather than a flat one.

The prawn-with-chilli-and-lemon filling is one of the canonical Venetian variations alongside tonnato (tuna and mayonnaise), prosciutto cotto with egg, and asparagus with hard-boiled egg. The prawns are cooked briefly in olive oil with finely chopped chilli, lemon zest and juice; cool slightly before mixing with mayonnaise into a chunky filling that holds together in the sandwich without sliding out.

The pancetta crisp is the textural contrast. Pancetta slices cooked flat in a frying pan over medium heat until golden and shatter-brittle (around two to three minutes a side); drained on paper, then broken into shards inside each sandwich. The crisp salt-meat shards provide the bite against the soft prawns and the soft bread. Crusts removed (cut with a sharp serrated knife after assembly), cut into triangles, served on a wooden board. A glass of cold prosecco alongside.

Ingredients

12 large prawns, peeled and deveined
1 red chilli, finely chopped (adjust based on heat preference)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 slices of D’Orsogna Rolled Pancetta
8 slices of soft white bread (preferably without crusts)
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

For the herb mayo:

6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
2 tsp chives chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Crisp the pancetta. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with a little olive oil, add the pancetta slices, cooking them flat. Fry the pancetta for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it’s super crispy and golden brown. Once crispy, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
Cook the prawns, in the same pan, with the pancetta fat still in it, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they turn pink and opaque.
Add the chopped chilli, pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the prawns, stirring to coat them in the flavourful oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove the prawns from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with chopped capers for brininess, chives for that Italian flavour, add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest , then mix everything together until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the tramezzini, Lay out your slices of bread on a clean surface. Cut off the crust of the bread, and flatten the bread slightly. Spread the herb mayonnaise mixture on both sides of the bread.
Place a few prawns on one slice of bread, followed by two crispy slices of pancetta.
Top with another slice of bread to create a sandwich.
press the sides to enclose the filling.
Cut the bread diagonally in half and repeat.

Silvia Colloca

Silvia Colloca is a Roman-born cook, opera singer and cookbook author who has spent the last decade documenting the regional cooking of Italy from her home in Sydney. She fronts Silvia’s Masterclass, working through the country one mother-recipe at a time. Her style is patient: fresh pasta by hand, long-rise focaccia, sauces built slow.