Salt-Roasted Santa Barbara Spot Prawns

1. 1
   Position an oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).
2. 2
   Spread 3 pounds of coarse salt evenly across a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or heavy roasting pan.
3. 3
   Place the skillet in the oven and heat the salt until scorching hot, about 45 minutes.⏱ 45 min
4. 4
   Use kitchen shears to snip off the long antennae and tiny swimmer legs from the prawns.
5. 5
   Carefully transfer the hot skillet from the oven to a heatproof work surface using heavy oven mitts.
6. 6
   Spoon about half of the blistering hot salt into a heatproof metal bowl.
7. 7
   Scatter 3 rosemary sprigs across the salt layer remaining in the bottom of the skillet.
8. 8
   Lay the prawns in a single, flat layer over the hot rosemary bed.
9. 9
   Scatter the remaining rosemary over the prawns and quickly bury them with the reserved hot salt.
10. 10
    Return the skillet to the 500°F oven and roast until the shells turn bright pink, exactly 3 to 4 minutes.⏱ 4 min
11. 11
    Pull the skillet out immediately and lift the prawns out of the salt mound with tongs.
12. 12
    Use a dry pastry brush to quickly sweep off all excess salt clinging to the shells.
13. 13
    Slice each prawn lengthwise down the center, arrange on plates, drizzle with olive oil, and serve with lemon wedges.