This 15-minutes meal (literally: I watched the time from the first minute to the last!) is pure love. Made with just five ingredients, in my book these quick prawns with garlic butter are one of the world’s most indulgent dishes. Why? Because of the luscious garlicky sauce infused with fresh parsley and umami from the prawns, that you will shamelessly wipe off with fresh chunks of warm white bread. And because you will eat the succulent, meaty prawns with your hands, not caring about getting messy or anyone judging you for licking your fingers!

The Flavour Affair:

Prawns + Butter + Garlic + Parsley + Salt

Yep, that’s it. And I can have it on repeat daily. (Well maybe without the bread daily!)

Prawns: you can use whole, peeled, or butterflied. It just depends on the purpose. Today, the purpose is to de-stress, and what does it better than messy finger food? So whole prawns it was.

That said, cooking prawns in full armour offers a couple of other advantages. First, the shells protect the tender meat from overcooking quickly. Second, the shells impart a more concentrated umami flavour to the sauce. Third, whole prawns make quite an appearance, and you can of course easily handle them with a fork and a knife. I like to use medium sized ones because they cook faster.

Butter: creates a glossy, foamy, irresistibly creamy sauce with a hint of sweetness.

Garlic: provides a deep, soothing, and savory flavour with a hint of pungency. Oozes comfort!

Parsley: adds a fresh, peppery finish and a summery aroma.

Now… you can always deglaze the pan with a splash of dry white wine before stirring in the butter. The wine’s acidity will brighten the rich sauce, and the flavour will be more rounded. It’s true, and I do this whenever I feel like adding a bit more sophistication to the dish – like with these Seared Scallops. But here, you really don’t have to. Because when you crave comfort, the simpler the better!

Salt: whole prawns retain a bit of that sea water saltiness, so I suggest to try them first and only season if you feel there’s not enough saltiness in the dish. Otherwise, just use salted butter, which is what I normally do.

Preparation tips for Quick Prawns with Garlic Butter:

• Rinse the prawns and tap them dry with a paper towel. The drier the better as it will minimize oil splatters.
• This dish cooks fast, so have the ingredients at hand: finely chop a bunch of parsley (leaves only) and mince 5-6 garlic cloves.
• Use olive oil to cook the prawns and stir in the butter when they are almost done (about 5 minutes). This way the butter won’t burn but emulsify into the creamy foamy sauce:

• Add chopped parsley and minced garlic and use tongs to move the prawns around to get them covered in the sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes, watching the butter to make sure it doesn’t burn. Little browning is fine.

Ready? Dive in! Peel a prawn, mop up the sauce and savour. Take a moment to appreciate life’s simple pleasures. Wipe the pot clean with lots of fresh bread. Seriously, just how good is it??

Recipe Variations:

For a more user-friendly experience, like when you are entertaining or hosting in-laws, you can use peeled prawns with tails on or butterflied prawns:

In the simple version, the modus operandi is the same: fry prawns in oil until almost done, stir in butter, garlic and parsley. You just need to keep a watchful eye on the pan, because peeled prawns cook faster and you want them succulent, not chewy. In my experience, medium size prawns with tail on take mere three minutes of frying in oil before you add the butter. Butterflied prawns (open from one side) need about four minutes.

If you want to elevate the dish a bit, remove the prawns from the pan after frying them in oil. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 glasses of dry white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Stir in the butter, garlic and parsley, return the prawns to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Whatever you choose, I promise it will be awesome!

Looking for more prawns recipes? Why not try out some (or all!) of these:

Quick Pan-Fried Prawns with Tabbouleh Salsa

Fried Prawns with Mango and Avocado

Whole Prawns with Butter and Cognac

Prawns in Balsamic & Orange Glaze

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