Crispy Garlic Prawns (Shrimp!)

These crispy garlic prawns are merely the BEST! This recipe is a mixture of two of my favorite dishes – Hawaiian garlic shrimp and Spanish prawns (gambas al ajillo) – taking the very best from every. You’ll be fortunate if the skillet makes it to the desk!

In This Publish:

Crispy Garlic Prawns

These are the very best garlic prawns I’ve ever made. It’s a little bit of a mash-up between Hawaiian garlic shrimp and Spanish garlic prawns, each of which I really like very a lot.

Seasoned, crispy buttery prawns coated in garlicky oil and drizzled with a contact of lemon. The flavours are out of this world! After I completed taking pictures the recipe, I believed we’d strive a couple of prawns and save the remaining for lunch afterward. As an alternative, my accomplice and I stood over the skillet and at the whole thing on the spot, mopping up each garlic oil morsel with a sourdough baguette.

As I discussed, it’s a mixture of two recipes. Shrimp? Prawns? These phrases are interchangeable relying in your location. 

1. Hawaiian garlic shrimp, by which the crustaceans are coated in a scrumptious mixture of rice flour, paprika and cayenne, then fried with the shell on till mushy and crispy. The shrimp are then served with a great deal of golden, fried garlic on prime.  
2. Spanish garlic prawns, by which the prawns are cooked in lashings of garlic flavoured oil, usually seasoned with paprika, and completed with lemon and parsley. White wine is typically used. The prawns should not coated in something and are often peeled, usually served in a scorching pot or skillet. On this dish, the garlic is extra sauteed/confit than fried in comparison with the Hawaiian model. 

In my garlic prawns recipe, you get a little bit of each and I feel it’s the very best mixture ever. 

👉 Love prawns/shrimp? Strive my grilled shrimp salad, Mongolian shrimp, or my grilled shrimp with Alabama white sauce.

What You’ll Want

Here’s what that you must make this garlic prawns recipe:

• Giant king prawns (shrimp) – you need to use contemporary or frozen (thawed out).
• If utilizing prawns with the shell on, step one is to take away the shells whereas leaving the tails on. When you take away the shells, reduce every prawn alongside the highest, about midway down. Take away the black thread or line that runs alongside the highest (that’s the digestive tract of the prawn (eeww!) and whereas fit for human consumption, I wish to take away if peeling the prawns.
• Alternatively, save your self 20 minutes of prep time and purchase de-shelled prawns, ideally with the tails on however not important. It’s also possible to use frozen shrimp and defrost it in a bowl of heat water for quarter-hour.
• I nonetheless suggest slicing the highest of the prawns for a visible impact as they curl up so properly when cooked.

• Recent garlic (please use contemporary for this recipe), olive oil, butter, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, lemon, and parsley for garnish.

How To Make Garlic Prawns

Discover the total record of elements, dietary data, and directions within the recipe card beneath. Listed below are some step-by-step photos to information you alongside.

Pan-Fry The Garlic

• Peel the garlic and cube it fairly small however not minced or crushed. You need them to be tiny little cubes or items, comparable shapes in order that they cook dinner evenly and flavour the butter/oil. If the garlic is reduce too finely or minced, it is going to be too small and can simply burn earlier than it might do the job. Put aside.
• Place a medium to giant skillet or frying pan over medium warmth. As soon as sizzling, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and half of the butter (about 15 grams). Add the garlic and a pinch of salt. If utilizing unsalted butter, add just a little extra salt. Prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, till the garlic is golden and appears prefer it’s about to go golden brown. Don’t let it get too brown or it’ll style bitter and burnt. We would like golden!
• Take away ALL of the garlic and oil to a bowl and put aside.

Pan-Fry The Prawns

• Mix flour, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and blend in a medium bowl.
• Add the peeled, de-veined prawns to the bowl with the flour combination and toss via to coat evenly.
• Place the used skillet again on medium to excessive warmth (7 on induction). Add a couple of teaspoon of olive oil and half of the remaining butter (a teaspoon or so). As soon as melted and scorching, add half of the prawns in a single layer, ensuring that none are overlapping. Prepare dinner for two minutes on both sides (flip each individually with tongs) and take away to a bowl.
• Repeat with the remaining prawns, including one other splash of oil and the final little bit of the butter to the pan. If utilizing a forged iron skillet, it is going to be tremendous sizzling by now so it’s possible you’ll want to show the warmth down barely.

Mix Garlic & Prawns

• As soon as the second batch of the prawns is cooked, return the primary batch to the skillet and pour the fried garlic and oil excessive. Take away from warmth. Drizzle with juice of 1/4 lemon and stir via. Sprinkle with parsley. Style and see when you choose extra lemon or serve a wedge on the facet.
• Serve whereas sizzling over rice or with a facet of sourdough bread or a baguette. That garlic and the oil can’t be wasted!

Recipe Ideas

• Prepare dinner the prawns for 1.5-2 minutes both sides (I often do 2 minutes on the primary facet and 1 minute on the opposite). Don’t over cook dinner the prawns or they’ll get powerful and rubbery.
• Regulate the garlic and ensure to take off the warmth as quickly because it begins to show golden brown. It’s really easy to burn the garlic and it might flip bitter. For this reason I like to recommend chopping garlic into small items relatively than mincing or grating it.
• A mix of olive oil and butter is vital right here. Butter offers you richness and flavour however can burn. Oil and butter work splendidly collectively. In case you should keep away from dairy, you may get away with utilizing extra olive oil however you’ll be lacking that buttery flavour. Ghee is also used.
• Make certain the prawns aren’t soaking moist earlier than coating them in flour. Give them just a little pat with paper towel if wanted.
• Prepare dinner prawns in batches – use a big skillet and don’t overcrowd it so that every prawn will get an opportunity to get correctly crispy on both sides. Flip every prawn individually utilizing tongs relatively than stirring them via.

What To Serve With Garlic Prawns

We ate the prawns straight out of the skillet, mopping up the sauce with some sourdough baguette. It’s also possible to serve them over rice, in shrimp tacos or in a salad bowl.

For a easy facet dish, you’ll be able to serve my go-to backyard facet salad, or this 5-minute zucchini salad with lemon and mint.

Extra Shrimp Recipes

Full Recipe 

Discover the total record of elements, directions, and a dietary breakdown beneath. If in case you have questions or cook dinner this recipe, please let me know within the feedback, and ensure to price this recipe so it’s simple for others to search out.