Sometimes, looking at the prawns sold in the market, I feel enticed to buy a kilo or two to cook at home.
Prawns that look fresh and fleshy are especially appealing. I sometimes make them into tempura, incorporate them in a paella dish or simply cook them on the griller.
Here’s an easy recipe for grilled prawns which I recently served at home. The lemon-garlic butter sauce adds a rich flavor to this seafood dish.
Prawns with Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings.
1 k large prawns (around 16 pieces)
Salt and pepper
½ c butter
½ c olive oil
¼ c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 whole head of garlic, finely chopped
¼ c finely chopped parsley (optional)
Cut the prawns in half lengthwise. Keep the heads, tails and the shells on, but remove the sharp tips on the tails. Season prawns with salt and pepper.
Set aside. Brush a grill pan with cooking oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the grill pan over medium heat.
In a saucepan, heat butter until almost melted. Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley (if desired).
Cook the prawns on the grill pan, shell side up, around 1 minute. Turn prawns over so that the meaty sides are up.
Spoon some of the butter sauce on the prawns and continue grilling until prawns are fully cooked, about one to two more minutes. Transfer the prawns to a serving dish.
Reheat any remaining butter sauce and pour over the prawns. Or, if you want more sauce, make an extra batch of the lemon-garlic butter sauce.
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Cook’s tips:
As soon as you buy the prawns, store them in the coolest part of the refrigerator to maintain their freshness. Use within one day.
A good, sharp pair of kitchen scissors may be better to use for halving the prawns (instead of a knife).
Do not overcook the prawns so that they don’t get tough.