Buttered Garlic Prawns

These buttered garlic prawns are one of my favourite ways to cook prawns. They are utterly delicious AND take less than 10 minutes. Imagine plump and juicy prawns bathing in gloriously garlicky butter. All finished off with a hint of zesty lemon, fresh parsley and chilli flakes for a spicy kick! So simple, yet so good. 

I think lots of people feel a bit intimidated when it comes to cooking prawns, but this method is one of the simplest out there. You just need to remember a few nifty tricks. Firstly, I always recommend butterflying your prawns. It takes a few extra minutes but is so worth it for the superior texture. Secondly, you need to have a large enough pan and make sure it is hot enough before you add the prawns. This gives them plenty of space to sear rather than stew (creating the best flavour and texture). Finally, and this is where most people go wrong, don’t overcook them! These buttered garlic prawns literally take a few minutes to cook. As soon as they are blushing pink, they are ready. If you leave them in the pan any longer, they will overcook and turn rubbery. 

I love serving these buttered garlic prawns with a range of sides. They are delicious tapas/mezze style with a selection of small plates for a starter or as part of a sharing feast. Or serve them for a main course with something to absorb all the glorious garlic butter. Fluffy rice is perfect and I like to make a herby sauce to complement the butteriness of the prawns. For an even speedier supper (or lunch), simply serve with warm crusty bread. Perfect for mopping up every last morsel. 

These buttered garlic prawns also make a great addition to other dishes. For example, they are utterly gorgeous tossed through pasta. Spaghetti or linguine work particularly well. Just finish with a generous grating of Parmesan or pecorino and dive in! I also love to use them as a topping for risotto, like my risotto di zucchini or tomato and mascarpone risotto.

Why you will love this recipe:

• They are super simple and are ready in less than 10 minutes.
• You need just 6 ingredients (plus salt, pepper and optional chilli flakes). 
• They are full of flavour and texture. Imagine plump, juicy prawns cooked in garlicky paprika butter. All finished off with zesty lemon, fresh herbs and spicy chilli flakes.
• They are so versatile. You can serve the mezze/tapas style with other sharing plates, tossed through pasta, alongside fluffy rice or with crusty bread to mop up all those juices. 

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

King prawns - I like to opt for sustainably sourced MSC prawns. Choosing peeled prawns saves time, without compromising on the plump and juicy texture. Make sure you get raw prawns - if you use pre-cooked, they will overcook and turn rubbery. You can use fresh or frozen (just make sure the frozen ones are thoroughly defrosted). 

Sweet paprika - this has a mild, subtly sweet flavour which works beautifully with these buttered garlic prawns.

Butter - salted or unsalted works here, just make sure you taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Garlic - use fresh garlic cloves rather than jarred garlic here. I can appreciate the ease of jarred garlic but when it's the star of the show here, best to use fresh.

Lemon - a hint of zesty lemon at the end really lifts these buttered garlic prawns.

Fresh parsley - this adds a fresh, slightly peppery, flavour to the buttered garlic prawns.

Dried chilli flakes - a pinch of dried chilli flakes as a fiery kick to these buttered garlic prawns.

Substitutions and Variations:

Paprika: try with smoked paprika if you enjoy smokier flavours. 

Chilli flakes: You could use aleppo chilli flakes if you want a more aromatic flavour. Maybe add a little harissa to the pan when cooking the prawns for a more complex spiced flavour. Chipotle paste also works well and will give these buttered garlic prawns a Mexican flavour.

White wine: you can add a splash of white wine to the hot pan about 1 minute after adding the prawns. It will steam and bubble off, infusing the prawns with extra flavour.

Fresh herbs: I add freshly chopped parsley to these buttered garlic prawns but fresh coriander also works really well. Sometimes I sprinkle over thinly sliced chives just before serving. I like to make a green herby sauce alongside this dish but it is optional as chopped fresh herbs are also delicious.

Pangrattato: you can add texture to these buttered garlic prawns by sprinkling with a pangrattato (toasted breadcrumbs often infused with olive oil and herbs). It is the perfect way to use up leftover bread - plus you can add all sorts of flavours like chilli flakes, cheese and herbs). 

Here's how to make Buttered Garlic Prawns:

Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

ONE: Pat the prawns dry on some kitchen paper, then add to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the paprika and toss gently to coat.

TWO: Add a glug of olive oil and the zest of ½ lemon. Set aside.

THREE: Add the butter to a large non-stick frying pan and set over medium heat (if you don’t have a large enough pan, cook in batches). Swirl until melted and sizzling.

FOUR: Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, stirring to ensure it doesn’t catch and burn. You don’t want the garlic to take on any colour. 

FIVE: Add the prawns to the hot butter and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they turn pink.

SIX: Watch closely as you don’t want them to overcook or they will become rubbery.  Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, to taste. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley and dried chilli flakes, to taste, then stir to coat. 

SEVEN: Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and season well with salt and pepper.

EIGHT: Blend until smooth. Drizzle over the prawns and whatever you serve with e.g. rice.

Cooking Tips:

Frozen prawns: if using frozen prawns, make sure you defrost them in the fridge overnight then pat really dry with kitchen roll (otherwise they will be too). If you are in a hurry, place the prawns into a large bowl and fill with cold water. They defrost in the water and it should take about 10 minutes. Just change the water a few times as the frozen prawns make the water really cold and you need to bring the temperature back up a little with fresh water from the tap. Once they are soft, drain well and pat dry, as above.

Butterflied prawns: I always recommend butterflying prawns. It gives them more surface area so they have a better taste and texture. All you need to do is run a sharp knife gently down the back and carefully open up slightly. It adds a few minutes (at most) to the total time and is so worth it.

Dry prawns: don’t be tempted to skip the bit where you pat the prawns dry with kitchen towel. If they are damp, you will end up stewing the prawns in the pan rather than searing them.

Large frying pan: it is really important to use a large pan when making these buttered garlic prawns as they need plenty of space. If you overcrowd the pan, the prawns will stew instead of sear (and searing gives the best flavour). If you don’t have a big enough pan, simply cook in batches.

Hot pan: make sure the butter in your frying pan is foaming hot before adding the prawns. You want them to sear, not stew. 

Wine: you can add a splash of white wine to the hot pan about 1 minute after adding the prawns. It will steam and bubble off, infusing the prawns with even more flavour.

Butter: when serving, make sure you pour all of the glorious garlic butter onto the plate/into the bowl with the prawns. Yes, the prawns are the star of the show, but the butter has so much flavour.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Other recipes you might enjoy:

If you liked the sound of these buttered garlic prawns, you will love my panko shrimp. Also don’t miss my Japanese shrimp tempura (ebi tempura) and sesame prawn toasts.

Made this recipe and loved it?

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Buttered Garlic Prawns

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These buttered garlic prawns are my all-time favourite way to cook prawns. They are utterly delicious AND take less than 10 minutes. Imagine plump and juicy prawns bathing in gloriously garlicky butter. So simple, yet so good. 

• Author: Margie Nomura
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: Serves 3-4 (depending on sides) 1x
• Category: Seafood & Fish
• Method: Pan-frying
• Cuisine: Spanish

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the buttered garlic prawns:

• 350g shelled deveined raw king prawns
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ lemon, juice and zest
• Olive oil
• 80g unsalted butter
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley, from the leaves (use stems below)
• About ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

Herby green sauce, to serve (optional):

• Small bunch of parsley, stems only
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ large red chilli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

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Instructions

1. Begin by butterflying the prawns: run a sharp knife down the back of the prawn and gently open out slightly. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect - you just want to give them more surface area. 
2. Pat the prawns dry on some kitchen paper, then add to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the paprika and toss gently to coat. Add a glug of oil and add the zest of ½ lemon. Set aside.
3. For the herby sauce: add all the ingredients to a blender with a good pinch of salt and crack of pepper. Blend until smooth.
4. Add the butter to a large non-stick frying pan and set over medium heat (if you don’t have a large enough pan, cook in batches). Swirl until melted and sizzling. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, stirring to ensure it doesn’t catch and burn. You don’t want the garlic to take on any colour. 
5. Add the prawns to the hot butter and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they turn pink. Watch closely as you don’t want them to overcook or they will become rubbery. 
6. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, to taste. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley and dried chilli flakes, to taste, then stir to coat. 
7. Spoon into bowls and serve with your choice of side (see Notes). 

Notes

To store: these buttered garlic prawns are best to serve straight away but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.

To reheat: I would eat the leftover prawns cold (well, room temp - remove from fridge 20-30 minutes before eating) as then you avoid overcooking when reheating.

To freeze: I don’t recommend freezing these buttered garlic prawns as, sadly, the texture changes during defrosting and reheating.

Butterflied prawns: I always recommend butterflying prawns. I think it makes a big difference to the taste and texture as they have more surface area. They don’t have to look perfect and it only takes a few minutes.

Large frying pan: it is really important not to overcrowd the frying pan or the buttered garlic prawns will stew and not sear (and searing gives the best flavour). If your pan isn’t big enough, simply cook in batches.

Paprika: I use sweet paprika in this buttered garlic prawns recipe as it has a subtly sweet, mild flavour. However, it is also delicious with smoked paprika if you prefer a smokier flavour. 

White wine: you can add a splash of white wine to the hot pan about 1 minute after adding the prawns. It will steam and bubble off, infusing the prawns with extra flavour.

Serving suggestions: the buttered garlic prawns are delicious as part of a mezze/tapas spread or with a side as a main meal. You want something that will soak up all the delicious garlicky, buttery juices. Fluffy rice or good quality warm crusty bread is ideal. Alternatively, toss through pasta.