The simplicity of these spicy prawns is almost overwhelming. Ready in under 10 minutes and delicious! Serve as an appetizer or as part of another dish like polenta cakes, pasta, or salad.
These Spicy Prawns are great on top of a Grilled Polenta Cake!
Love Seafood? Try another favorite recipe: Crab Stuffed Shrimp
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Let's Talk Prawns
Prawns vs. Shrimp - Are They The Same?
While we at Appetizer Bliss are all about using the right terms for things (as you have probably noticed in our posts!) this is one that trips us up. Since most of us, and most grocery stores, use these two words interchangeably, it is very difficult to know if we are ACTUALLY buying prawns or shrimp from the store.
Are they the same? No. They are actually different animals. Would I know the difference if I was looking at them - NO! Some will say it is the size, but there are small shrimp and small prawns, there are large shrimp and large prawns. They both have 10 legs. They look similar to each other if you are not a shrimp/prawn animal expert - which I'm not!
BUT - DO THEY TASTE DIFFERENT? NO! For 99.9% of the population, we can't tell the difference when eating them. So, buy prawns, buy shrimp, buy what the store has. The important thing is to get the size that works for the dish you are making. We wouldn't want to use a LARGE JUMBO shrimp if we are putting it on a small polenta cake.
We also like to purchase sustainable seafood whenever we can. Not only is this important for our world and food cycle, it is also important to show our support for companies doing this hard work. Here are two short articles about sustainable prawns/shrimp and the difference between prawns and shrimp.
- This Southern Living article was interesting and focused on the differences between prawns and shrimp.
- Marine Stewardship Council, a great seafood resource, talks a tiny bit about the difference between them and mostly about finding sustainable shrimp and prawns in this article.
Sizes of Prawns and Shrimp
It can be confusing when looking at prawns or shrimp and we see all the different numbers, but it is really pretty easy. The numbers are how many prawns are in one pound. For example,
- 36/40 means there are 36 to 40 prawns in one pound.
- 21/25 means there are 21 to 25 prawns in one pound.
- U-12 a way large prawns are sometimes listed means there are under 12 prawns in one pound.
So, it is basically the size of the prawns! EASY. The higher the number, the more prawns in a pound, so the smaller the prawns. NOTE: not all packages or stores will list the sizes the same, BUT it is always the number per pound. So, just remember that the higher the numbers, the smaller the prawns. The lower the number, the bigger the prawns.
Tails On or Tails Off?
We know the usual method for cooking prawns is with the tails on. Cooking with the tail on helps them stay juicy, adds some flavor, and provides a nice 'handle' if eating shrimp cocktail! However, I hate eating a prawn appetizer and then having to deal with first, getting the prawn out of the shell and second, what do I now do with the shell? For this reason, we remove them from this dish. These prawns aren't dipped, don't need a 'handle', they are just eaten, SO - tails off for us! Feel free to leave them on if you like, they will still be delicious.
Easy Peel or Not?
We love the easy peel (or EZ peel), deveined prawns. This saves so much time. Interesting note: We were surprised to learn years ago that easy peel shrimp are done by hand! A slice is made from the head down to the tail making it easy to pull the shell off the prawns. If the vein is removed, they are considered deveined and using them is super simple. If they are not easy peel, it just takes a little longer to peel the prawns.
It is easy to remove the tail if needed. Grasp the tail when peeling the prawn. As the shell is removed from the prawn, gently pull the prawn while holding and squeezing the tail. The prawn should pop right out of the tail.
On to the Spicy Prawns Recipe!
Now that the discussion on prawns vs. shrimp is over, let's get to these amazing spicy prawns! We are not kidding when we say these are fast and easy to make.
Basic Steps for Making This Spicy Prawn Recipe
- Prep ingredients.
- Peel, devein, and remove tails on shrimp. Mince garlic.
- Cook.
- Heat skillet and add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Add prawns.
- Turn prawns over and add lime or lemon juice.
- Serve.
- Remove prawns from skillet to dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over the prawns. This sauce can be reduced a little first if it seems too thin.
Some Favorite Riffs
Adjust the spiciness to the desired level with more or less red pepper flakes. Mix it up with other types of peppers. Use ground peppers - so many to choose from, pick a favorite (cayenne, chipotle, red pepper, etc.). Add diced fresh peppers to the skillet with the garlic and sauté for a minute before adding the prawns. Again, so many to choose from!
Make it sweet by adding a little honey to the skillet. Add some sweet chili sauce for some sweet, sour, and spicy additions.
We've made this with both lemons and limes and both are great! Use what you have (I had a lime when taking these photos). If you want it to have more citrus flavor, add a little more juice or some zest from the fruit. You can also zest some lemon or lime over the finished dish! #yum
How to Serve Spicy Prawns
These are great as a stand-alone appetizer. Serve with picks or forks if you want to keep people from using their fingers! Spicy Prawns are amazing sitting on top of a grilled polenta cake. These are also great with pasta, salad, or over rice.
Some Info On Picks
Picks. We do not recommend using colored toothpicks as the color can come off on the food. We like to use a reusable toothpick, but recognize if you are hosting a large party this may not be feasible. For large parties use a decorative toothpick when possible - like a bamboo knotted toothpick. These are found at most party stores, some grocery stores, or restaurant supply stores. Here are a few of our favorite pick sources.
- Wooden toothpicks - Least expensive and easy to get
- Knotted bamboo toothpicks - Inexpensive and easy to get at many locations
- Bamboo w/’pearl’ - Step up from basic pick and available at Amazon
- Metal cocktail pick - Most expensive option but reusable!
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If within the FDA recommendations, these spicy prawns are great the next day. Warm them up and eat them, eat them cold, throw them into some pasta or on top of a salad.
Other favorite seafood recipes
FAQ's
Shrimp and prawns are actually different animals. Would I know the difference if I was looking at them - NO! BUT - DO THEY TASTE DIFFERENT? NO! Most of us can't tell the difference when eating them. So, buy prawns, buy shrimp, buy what the store has. The important thing is to get the size that works for the dish you are making. We wouldn't want to use a LARGE JUMBO shrimp if we are putting it on a small polenta cake.
This depends on how you are going to serve these.
If you want them to be one bite, use somewhere around a 30-40 size. This is great for a stand-alone appetizer, topping small appetizers (crostini, polenta cakes), adding to pasta or salads.
If 1-2 bites is what you are looking for use a 15-40 size. This size is great for stand-alone (multiple bite size) or adding to pasta or salad.
Yes. If using cooked prawns all that is really needed is a sauce. Heat about ½ teaspoon oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon or lime juice. Heat until it is hot and slightly reduced. Add shrimp to skillet just to heat. Serve.
📖 Recipe
Spicy Prawns
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 24 pieces 1x
Description
The simplicity of these spicy prawns is almost overwhelming. Ready in under 10 minutes and delicious! Serve as an appetizer or as part of another dish.
Ingredients
- 24 raw prawns peeled, deveined, tail removed (use anything between 30-40 size)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ lime or lemon
- Parsley, chopped for garnish (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Give a quick stir to combine.
- Add prawns in a single layer. Cook for about 1 minute per side. The prawns will begin to turn light pink. Turn prawns over. NOTE: These times are for a 30-40 size prawn. Larger prawns will take a little more time on each side.
- Add juice from ½ lime (or lemon) and cook another minute. NOTE: it is easy to overcook prawns and make them tough. Keep a close eye on them. This size really takes just a minute on each side. They will be a nice pink color and curl up as they cook.
- Remove from the skillet to a serving plate.
- Pour remaining sauce from the pan over the shrimp.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve warm, chilled, or room temperature.
Notes
Tails Off. Cooking with the tail on helps them stay juicy, adds some flavor, and provides a nice 'handle' if eating shrimp cocktail! However, we remove them from this dish. These prawns aren't dipped, don't need a 'handle', they are just eaten. SO - tails off for us! Feel free to leave them on if you like, they will still be delicious.
How to Serve Spicy Prawns. We love these spicy prawns as an appetizer but they are also great as a topping for grilled polenta cakes, tossed with pasta, mixed with a salad, or in a taco.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 prawn
- Calories: 12
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 13.6 mg
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.2 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 18.2 mg
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