Garlic butter prawns with lemon and herbs recipe
Juicy prawns, sizzling garlic butter and fresh lemon come together in a fast dinner that tastes as though it came from a seaside restaurant.
Making seafood at home can sound daunting, especially when it comes to shellfish. But this recipe proves otherwise: succulent prawns sautéed in garlic butter with lemon and herbs, ready in just eight minutes. The most important part of this recipe is getting the pan hot before the prawns go in. If the pan is lukewarm, they release water and begin to stew. A hot pan gives them those golden, lightly charred edges while keeping the centres tender. Cook them in batches if your frying pan is small. Crowding the pan is the quickest route to rubbery prawns. Butter gives the sauce its richness, but a spoonful of olive oil prevents it from burning.
Tip: If using frozen prawns, defrost them fully and pat them dry before cooking.
Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 8 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 800g large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 60g butter
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon wedges
- Fresh basil, to garnish
Method
- Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over high heat.
- Add half the prawns in a single layer. Cook for one to two minutes on each side, then remove from the pan.
- Repeat with the remaining prawns.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter, garlic and chilli flakes.
- Cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant.
- Return all the prawns to the pan.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley. Toss for one minute until everything is glossy and hot.
- Serve at once with lemon wedges and fresh basil.
