Spot prawns with garlic butter
BC spring spot prawns sautéed in butter
For six weeks or so from May, Vancouver's False Creek dock fills with people buying live spot prawns straight off the boats, and the whole city cooks them simply in garlic butter. They are sweet, firm and delicate, so they need almost nothing else, just bread or rice to soak up the butter. If you buy them live, cook them on the day; remove the heads straight away, as an enzyme there turns the tail meat mushy. Throw away any prawns that smell of ammonia or have gone soft. A common mistake is overcooking; two minutes is plenty. Chef's tip: cook in batches so the pan stays hot and they sear rather than stew.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 lb spot prawns, heads removed, in the shellor large raw prawns
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 1 lemonhalved
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- ½ tsp flaky salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Rinse 2 lb spot prawns, heads removed, in the shell in cold water and pat dry. Check them as you go: discard any that smell sour or of ammonia, or have soft, broken shells.
5 minStep 3: Lower the heat, add the remaining 1 oz butter, 4 cloves garlic and 1 pinch chilli flakes and toss for 30–40 seconds until the garlic smells sweet but is not brown.
1 minStep 4: Squeeze over 1 lemon, add 2 tbsp chopped parsley and ½ tsp flaky salt, toss and serve at once.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spot prawns with garlic butter take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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