Recipe video above. Creamy Garlic Prawns are your favourite garlic prawns … PLUS a creamy garlic sauce! A few simple tricks give a leg-up to the sauce for a result that's a cut above your basic recipes: deglaze the pan with a little white wine, a splash of chicken stock and sprinkle of parmesan. Because plump, sweet prawns demand the BEST sauce!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Marinating time20 minutesmins
Course: Mains, Starters
Cuisine: Western
Keyword: creamy garlic prawns, creamy sauce for prawns, Garlic shrimp
Servings: 4
Calories: 490cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
Garlic marinated prawns:
500g / 1lbpeeled prawns/shrimp, large/jumbo best (Note 1)
1garlic cloves, finely minced
1tbspolive oil
1/2tspblack pepper
1/2tspsalt
Cooking prawns:
15g / 1 tbspunsalted butter
Creamy garlic sauce:
2garlic clove, finely minced
15g / 1 tbspunsalted butter
1/4cupdry white wine(or more chicken stock) (Note 2)
1/2cupchicken or vegetable stock/broth, low sodium
1cupheavy/thickened cream
1/2cupparmesan, finely grated (grate your own, Note 3)
Place prawns, garlic, oil and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat, set aside 20 minutes if time permits (no longer).
Stir through salt just prior to cooking.
Cook prawns:
Melt 15g / 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add half the prawns and cook for 1 minute on each side, then remove.
Repeat with remaining prawns (you shouldn't need more butter), then remove. Scrape out excess remaining garlic from pan and add to cooked prawns.
Creamy Sauce:
Add butter into skillet and let it melt. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until light golden.
Add white wine, turn up heat to high. Bring to simmer while stirring base of the pan to dissolve all the golden bits into the sauce. Cook 1 minute or until it most evaporates and the winey smell is gone.
Add chicken stock and reduce until mostly gone and just a thin layer remains on base of skillet.
Add cream, then simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened.
Stir through parmesan, then add the prawns back in. Taste sauce and see if more salt and pepper is needed.
Serve sprinkled with parsley, over mashed potato or something to soak up that fabulous sauce!
Notes
1. Prawns / shrimp - this is the peeled weight, so if using whole prawns, you'll need around 1 kg (you lose half in shell and head). If using thawed (I do), thaw overnight in the fridge in a colander set over a bowl (to drain water), pat dry before using.Large prawns are best for handling purposes - it's a pain turning over loads of small prawns, plus they stay plump and juicy.2. Wine is optional, it adds more depth of flavour into the sauce and used for deglazing the pan (ie dissolving the tasty golden bits left in the skillet from browning the prawns into the sauce = free flavour!)I use sauvignon blanc or pinot gris (because they're my drinking wines!). Anything that's not overly fruity (like some rieslings) or too woody (like some chardonnays) will be fine.3. Parmesan - you need to grate your own to ensure that it melts. Store-bought pre-grated in any form (sandy, or fine batons) just doesn't melt properly in sauces. When measuring, remember that freshly grated is aerated so the volume will look far greater than the weight, so you need to pack the cup down lightly (ie 50g / 2oz freshly grated parmesan = over 1 cup in volume, but 1/2 cup lightly packed in.4. Storage and leftovers - cooked prawns can be kept up to 3 days. Reheat gently on low heat in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Careful to ensure the prawns don't cook further and become overcooked.5. Nutrition per serving, assuming all sauce is consumed.