Butter prawns are a flavour packed Asian dish that is sweet,spicy, tangy crispy and crunchy. It takes about 15 minutes to make from scratch and can be made with either fresh or frozen prawns.
500grams/1 pound of Uncooked Prawnsheads removed (see note 1)
1tablespoonButter or vegetable oil(for light shallow frying)
Seasoning
3tablespoonsButter
2tablespoonsCrushed Garlic
1tablespoonGrated Ginger
1tablespoonSoy Sauce
1tablespoonRed Chilli flakes
1teaspoonGranulated sweetener that measures like sugar
½teaspoonsalt
For Crunch
1cupShallots/Spring onion diced
½cupShredded Coconut
¼cupPanko Breadcrumbs
Instructions
Toast coconut flakes and Panko: Heat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F and toast the coconut and panko crumbs for 10 minutes, then set aside
Cook Prawns: Add coconut oil to a wok on high heat, and fry off the prawns until they are just cooked, then remove from wok. Drain on paper towel if necessary to remove excel oil.
Heat and Cook Seasonings: In a new clean pan, add the just cooked prawns, shallots or spring onions, butter, cooked coconut, panko garlic, ginger, chilli, sweetener, soy sauce, and salt.
Combine: Toss through for 2 minutes until fragrant and serve immediately
Notes
Frozen Prawns: If using Frozen Prawns, put them into a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and let them defrost in the fridge. Drain all the excess moisture off. Remove the outer shells and intestinal tract (leaving the tail on)
Fresh Prawns: If using Fresh Prawns, remove the outer shells and intestinal tract (leaving the tail on)
Butter: Any butter will do. Avoid using margerine as it doesn;t have the same flavour.
Soy: I use regular soy sauce, however you coudl use Light Soy or Tamari which I've also tried. Avoid using dark soy sauce as it would be too heavy.
Granulated Sweetener: any type of granulated sweetener like monkfruit or stevia will work. Alternatively you could use honey.
Chilli Flakes: Dried red chilli flakes work well and provide good heat intensity, however fresh chillies could also be used. If using fresh chilli, make sure to remove the seeds to moderate the level of heat.
Ginger and Garlic: I use freshly grated ginger and freshly minced garlic since these are prominent flavours, however feel free to use bottled ginger and garlic. You may need to use a little extra from the jar to get the same amount of punchy flavour
Salt: this helps to bring out all the other flavours and adds seasoning to the dish.
Shredded Coconut: these are great lightly toasted in the oven and are used at the end to toss through the prawns . Avoid using desicated coconut as its too fine and tends to go soggy rather than provide texture.
Panko Breadcrumbs: these provide a secondary textural element and can also be lightly toasted with the shredded coconut flakes. Or you can skip the toasting as they are generally quite firm already.