Garlic Prawns (Shrimp!)

Hands down, this is my favourite way to cook prawns! 3 little tips to make top notch Garlic Prawns: finely chop the garlic rather than mince it, only marinate for 20 minutes and add a splash of wine (or broth) which adds an extra edge of flavour and stops the garlic from burning.

I made these Garlic Prawns on a balmy, sunny Autumn day. Peeled fresh prawns, cooked them, photographed them, filmed them and delivered them to the homeless man at the dog park all within the space of 2 hours.

I want to paint you an idealistic picture of how excited the homeless man was when I delivered him a container of freshly made Garlic Prawns along with a Corn and Avocado Salad, how he sat in the sun to enjoy a relaxing lunch. That image is pretty much right, except the one little addition of a certain big oaf of a dog who shamelessly took it upon himself to think it was acceptable to try to scab food from the homeless man.

Shame on you Dozer. Shame on you!

I learned how to make these Garlic Prawns from my brother. This is a spectacular way to cook prawns. Especially fresh prawns. If you make the effort to peel fresh prawns, there’s no need to get fancy with the cooking. Keep it simple, let the flavour of the prawns shine through. They don’t need much.

This recipe is super simple but I have a few tips for how to make top notch Garlic Prawns:

• Chop the garlic rather than mince it using a garlic crusher. Minced garlic has a tendency to burn (and splatter) when cooked over very high heat;
• Only marinate for 20 minutes. Prawns have delicate flesh, you’ll overpower them if you marinate for much longer; and
• A splash of wine stops the garlic from burning and gives the flavour a real restaurant-edge. It truly makes all the difference. Use chicken or vegetable broth if you can’t consume alcohol.

Short and simple today, it’s been a busy day and I’m late publishing this recipe. I hope your week is going great! 🙂 – Nagi x

PS I cooked this in a skillet for the video and photos but this is so terrific cooked on BBQ too. That’s how we usually do it for our family get togethers – plus you can make loads in one go!

PS I shared the Corn Salad recipe today as well, extra recipe for today. For this photo, all I did was skewer the prawns and cook them on a grill.

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Garlic Prawns (Shrimp!)

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5 from 11 votes

Hands down, my favourite way to cook fresh prawns ("shrimp" in the US). Simple and fabulous, the 3 tips for top notch garlic prawns is to chop rather than use a mincer for the garlic (it splatters and burns on high heat), only marinate for 20 minutes and the splash of wine gives this a flavour edge as well as stopping the garlic from burning. Recipe video below. Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter.

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:5 minutes

Total Time:15 minutes

Servings:2

Hover over "Servings" value to reveal recipe scaler

Author:Nagi

Ingredients

• 300 g / 10 oz prawns (shrimp) , peeled and deveined, tail on (Note 1)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped (don't use crusher/mincer)
• 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (separated)
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml dry white wine (Note 2)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 lemon , plus wedges to serve
• Finely chopped parsley , for garnish

Instructions

• Place the prawns, garlic and 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a bowl. Use your fingers to toss gently, then set aside for 20 minutes (no longer!).
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When you see wisps of smoke, add the prawns (work in batches if needed) and shake pan to spread out in a single layer (don't crowd the pan).
• Cook prawns for 1 minute, turning and tossing.
• Pour wine over the prawns, it will sizzle and bubble. Shake the pan and cook for for around 1 minute until the prawns change from translucent to white/pink and most of the wine is evaporated. (Note 4)
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper (remember prawns are naturally salty), toss.
• Transfer prawns to plate, squeeze over lemon juice, sprinkle with parsley and finish with more olive oil.

Recipe Notes:

1. Fresh prawns is best but this recipe works fine with frozen too. Thaw and pat dry before using. Refer to video for how to peel fresh prawns!

2. A dry white wine is best. Wine adds an edge to the flavour that takes this up a notch, so don't skip it! If you can't consume alcohol, use chicken or vegetable broth.

3. Cook in batches if required. Don't crowd the pan - the prawns will stew rather than sear. You don't get charring on the prawns because of the addition of the wine. It's what stops the garlic from burning.

COOKING ON THE BBQ: Fantastic cooked on a smoking BBQ on the flat plate side, not the grill because you can't pour the wine on it! Heat the BBQ until hot and if it's already well oiled from years of use, you won't need extra oil (remember the prawns/shrimp are marinated in oil). When you see wisps of smoke off the BBQ, it's ready! Then just cook per recipe. BBQ is great because you can make loads in one go.

4. HOW TO TELL A PRAWN IS COOKED: Prawn hangs straight = raw, curled in "C" shape = perfectly cooked, curled tightly in an "O" shape = overcooked (noooo!!!)

5. Garlic Prawns are shown with a Corn Salad.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings (enough for a main):

Nutrition

Serving: 220gCalories: 363kcal

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats or leave me a comment & rating below.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Garlic Prawns recipe video! I had to cook the recipe in 1.5 batches because the skillet I use for videos is quite small. Usually I cook it in one large skillet or on a BBQ.

LIFE OF DOZER

Even if garlic wasn’t bad for dogs, he still wouldn’t get one. They’re for the homeless man! Shame on you Dozer!!!

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