Steam the prawns in a large saucepan with a little water until opaque.
 
Combine the salt and chilli and spoon the mixture into four dipping bowls. Slice the mandarins or naartjies in half and squeeze the juice over the spicy salt.

Serve the prawns with the salt on the side for dipping, after peeling them.

TASTE's take

Jacques Erasmus of Hemelhuis in Cape Town recreated this recipe for TASTE after visiting Vietnam where he was served it on a junk in Ha Long Bay. He was shown how to squeeze mandarin juice over a bowl of salt then plunge the peeled prawns into the bowl, followed by a dab of cayenne pepper and chilli. He says it's truly one of the most exciting flavour combinations he's ever experienced.