This sweet, sticky and savory Korean gochujang prawn bowl comes together in 30 minutes. Its a little bit spicy, and a lot of flavor with tender plump juicy prawns.
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There is an art to making your sauce stick to your prawns and I have nailed it in this recipe! There's no thin, insipid sauce here. Instead, its sticky, glossy and won't slide off!
The sauce is totally where all the flavor is so you want it on the prawns, not at the bottom of the bowl.... and that is what this recipe gives you.
When I make gochujang prawns, it tends to be a little spicy. Gochujang, the Korean red chili paste its based on, has a bold and spicy flavor, but if I know there will be people eating it that don't like as much spice as I do, I adjust the spice level.
Its easy to do, simply by using less gochujang or sometimes I'll add a bit of sugar free maple syrup, monkfruit sweetener, or even soy sauce, or water to tone down the heat.
Recipe Highlights
- Its spicy, sweet and savory all at once
- It's under 500 calories per serve even with ½ cup Jasmine rice and even lower with cauliflower rice!
- On the table in under 30 minutes
- Works with fresh or frozen prawns!
I love making prawn recipes because they are super quick and easy to make during the week and alot of times you can even use frozen prawns. (See notes in recipe card for more info on how to use frozen prawns).
I often make this dish using frozen prawns because I always have a bag in the freezer. Making prawn tacos, or spicy mongolian prawns are also perfect to make with frozen prawns. This dish also goes so well with a cold kimchi noodle salad to offset the spicy flavors.
Gochujang is the secret ingredient to making spicy Korean.... anything. It's a Korean spicy paste and it mixes up so well to create a sticky, sweet, savory and spicy sauce that you'll be licking your fingers for! I also use it in these spicy gochujang chicken bites.
Ingredients
How To Make
- Make Gochujang Sauce: In a small bowl mix gochujang paste, water, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.
- Cook Onions: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet on medium/high heat. Sauté the onions for 4 minutes then add the garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook Prawns: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, on medium/high heat. Add half of the prawns to the skillet. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway until the prawn is pink and cooked through. Remove the prawns from the skillet and set aside. Add the second batch to the skillet and cook as above. Set aside with the first batch.
- Mix it all together: Lower the temp to low/medium, pour the sauce into a skillet, and mix around. When it starts to simmer add the onion, garlic, and prawns to the skillet. Gently mix everything, and simmer for three minutes.
- Serve: Remove from heat. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and lime juice. Serve with rice or noodles.
Avoid This !
When I first cooked gochujang shrimp, my biggest mistake was overcooking the shrimp. I didn't realize how quickly shrimp cook, and leaving them on the heat for too long made them tough and rubbery. Now, I always watch closely and take them off the heat as soon as they turn pink and opaque to keep them tender and juicy.
Top Tip
When making gochujang shrimp for the first time, my top tip is to marinate the shrimp for a bit before cooking. This allows the flavors of the gochujang, garlic, and other seasonings to really infuse into the shrimp, making the dish even more delicious. Just a short marinating time, around 15-30 minutes, can make a big difference in the final flavor.
There are a few ways to serve this dish, with the obvious choice being steamed jasmine rice. However, for a lower carb alternative try With your favorite salad, with Zucchini Noodles or Cauliflower Fried Rice .
Spicy Korean Gochujang Prawns (Shrimp)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or a neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
- ¼ cup tap water
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (toasted or untoasted)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 medium red onion (thinly sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 kg raw prawns with tails intact
- 2 green onions (sliced)
- 1 lime
Optional
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make Gochujang Sauce: In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons gochujang paste, ¼ cup tap water, 2 tablespoons sesame oil (toasted or untoasted), and 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar.
- Cook Onions: Add 1 of the 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or a neutral oil to a skillet on medium/high heat. Sauté 1 medium red onion (thinly sliced) for 4 minutes then add 3 cloves garlic (crushed), and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook Prawns: Add the remainder of the oil to the skillet, on medium/high heat. Add first half of the 1 kg raw prawns with tails intact to the skillet. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway until the prawn is pink and cooked through. Remove the prawns from the skillet and set aside. Add the second half to the skillet and cook as above. Set aside with the first batch.
- Mix it all together: Lower the temp to low/medium, pour the sauce into a skillet, and mix around. When it starts to simmer add the onion, garlic, and prawns to the skillet. Gently mix everything, and simmer for three minutes.
- Serve: Remove from heat. Garnish with a scattering 2 green onions (sliced), 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds , and juice of 1 lime . Serve with rice or noodles.
Notes
- Thaw Properly: Thaw the prawns in the refrigerator overnight or place them in a bowl of cold water for about 15-20 minutes until fully thawed. Avoid using warm or hot water to thaw, as this can affect their texture.
- Pat Dry: Once thawed, pat the prawns dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps them cook evenly and prevents the sauce from becoming too watery.
- Adjust Cooking Time: Frozen prawns may release a bit more moisture, so cook them over high heat to evaporate any excess liquid quickly and achieve a good sear.
Storage:Â Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for 2 days. Freezing:Â Not recommended. Nutrition:Â Serving is for 1 portion and does not include rice.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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