Garlic prawns: Who feels like a big pile of chubby juicy prawns mixed with lemon butter and garlic? Without a doubt, my favorite way to cook prawns! Quick and easy, it never fails to impress. The secret ingredient? A splash of white wine. It makes all the difference.
This is a reader’s favorite recipe included by popular demand in my first cookbook “Dinner”!
Prawns with garlic
Prawns with garlicThis is a spectacular way to cook prawns that has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.
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Only 6 ingredients – Prawns, garlic, white wine, butter, olive oil and lemon (I get salt and pepper for free). The prawns are delicious plains, so simple is the best!
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Quick to cook – only 6 minutes. Not anymore and you have cooked the prawns 😠too much;
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Although the recipe calls for a 20-minute marinade, it’s optional; and it’s
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always a hit. always!!
A splash of white wine is the secret ingredient that makes these prawns amazing!
garlic prawns” />What you need
for garlic prawns
This is what you need. The key ingredient here that makes all the difference is white wine. Wine adds complexity and depth of flavor to this otherwise simple dish.
Use any white wine you have. Dry white wine is the best, but even sweets work very well. The rose and champagne are great too!
<img src="https://www.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/What-goes-in-garlic-prawns.jpg" alt="
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How to make garlic
prawns This is a 6-minute recipe, so make sure you have all the ingredients on hand, ready to throw it in the pan!
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Marinate the prawns with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper for only 20 minutes, if you have time (otherwise, skip it). Do not marinate any longer, as the salt will draw too much moisture from the delicate shrimp meat and make them watery.
No garlic
: I used to marinate the prawns with the garlic assuming that it would infuse the garlic-flavored meat. But in reality, this is not the case. Not with such a short marinating time. But you end up with small pieces of garlic burned!
So these days, I add the garlic halfway to cook the prawns so it doesn’t burn. Better result, better garlic flavor!
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Seal in batches – Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Place half of the prawns in the pan and seal each side for 45 seconds, using tweezers to rotate individually.
Remove the first batch on a plate and then seal the remaining prawns for 45 seconds on each side.
TIP: Don’t fill the pan! Fewer prawns = better color = easier to handle = not overcooked.
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Garlic: Return the first batch of prawns to the pan, then add the garlic and mix for 30 seconds.
Wine – Add the wine, it will sizzle and vaporize when the wine hits the hot pan, which is GOOD! This means that it was reduced very quickly (~30 seconds), which is exactly what we want (quick cooking = juicy prawns)
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Butter – Once the wine has mostly evaporated, add the butter and lemon juice and then shake the pan so that it melts.
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Parsley – As soon as the butter has melted, mix quickly through the parsley and then transfer the prawns and all the butter sauce to a plate.
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Serve immediately, freshly cooked!
Oh – this is why I like to make extra sauce: TO CLEAN WITH BREAD. All that garlic and prawn juices make butter more outrageously delicious.
Some people start fistfights over prawns. I’ll fight with you over butter!! 😂
(P.S. Use this recipe for artisanal crusty bread. It’s sure to have now been officially crowned the easiest yeast bread recipe in the world!)
Garlicprawns They’re super easy to make, but I have some tips to make sure you key it every time!
Tips for the BEST garlic prawns
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Chop the garlic, do not use a garlic press. Garlic press = finer garlic that is also juicy and will burn at high temperatures that we use to cook prawns;
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Fresh is better, but frozen is really great nowadays! 5 years ago, I would never have said that. But today, there are frozen prawns of very good quality. Look for large, plump frozen ones – they work best if frozen are used;
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Dried prawns – especially if thawed frozen prawns are used. Wet prawns won’t get that beautiful golden seal in the short time it takes to cook the prawns and you’ll end up with stewed prawns;
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Fast cooking: Overcooked prawns are rubbery and hard, rather than juicy and plump. They take 3 minutes maximum to cook (medium to large);
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Cook in batches, do not fill the pan! Crowded pan = prawns stewed instead of singed. We want to seal for maximum flavor. Remember, color = flavor! So cook half of the prawns and then remove, then cook the other half. In addition, cooking fewer prawns at a time is easier to handle, that is, turning them one at a time.
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High heat, large skillet – to help cook the prawns perfectly and get a good seal on them;
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Use tweezers, not a spatula – turn each shrimp individually, do not stir them;
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Butter + oil: Butter provides flavor, but butter burns over high heat. To counteract this, we use a combination of butter + oil here. Oil to sear, then butter to flavor sauce!
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The wine will sizzle and vaporize! The pan should be super hot when you pour the wine so that it sizzles and evaporates quickly (30 seconds or less). If your prawns simmer in a pool of wine, then you will simmer the charred surface = loss of flavor 😩6-minute rule
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: this should take 6 minutes or less to cook. For longer, and the prawns will probably be overcooked… 😩
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Be generous with lemon! Seafood loves lemon. I make garlic prawns with an average amount of lemon, but I always serve with extra segments for people to serve themselves.
Want a creamy garlic shrimp sauce?
Use this recipe for creamy garlic prawns: the same garlic-marinated prawns, PLUS a creamy garlic parmesan sauce!
What goes with garlic prawns
The crusty bread to clean that tasty garlic butter sauce is essential! For homemade options, try one of these (I especially recommend the crispy artisan bread, an incredibly easy recipe!):
Complete your meal with some accompaniments: Here are some classics for warm summer days:
Prawns cooked on the barbecue
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Also – BBQ option!! This recipe I share today is for garlic prawns cooked on the stove. For larger gatherings, I tend to make large batches on the barbecue and make the sauce separately – here are my grilled garlic/shrimp prawns with lemon butter and garlic.
You’ll love how crunchy you can get the prawns in the barbie! – Nagi x
This
recipe appears in my first cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader’s favorite included by popular demand!
Originally published May 2017. Updated with better videos and photos in 2020, then the recipe process improved when I decided to include this recipe in my cookbook. Because it’s a personal favorite recipe and deserves the best I can do! 🙂
More shrimp recipes
Dozer’s life
Even if garlic wasn’t bad for dogs, he still wouldn’t get one. They are for someone else!
