Spiced Butterfly Prawns
- 20m Prep Time
- 20m Cook Time
- 1h 10mReady In
Butterflied king prawns marinated in a spicy ginger-garlic-chili paste, coated in breadcrumbs, and shallow-fried until golden. Serve as a finger food starter with lemon wedges.
Ingredients
- 4 king prawns/jumbo shrimp
- 175 g dried breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 fresh root ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green chillies roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 lemon juice of
- 1 pinch sugar
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 10 of 13 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 297 mg
- Iron: 4.78 mg
- Magnesium: 56.5 mg
- Phosphorus: 255 mg
- Potassium: 680 mg
- Zinc: 1.96 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 4 king prawns/jumbo shrimp
- 175 g dried breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 pinch sugar
Prepare
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green chillies, roughly chopped
- 0.5 lemon, juice of
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Shell the prawns and remove the heads, leaving the tails on. Devein each prawn by slicing all the way down the back without cutting through, then open it out and wash out the black intestine. Further open each prawn by slicing into each side of the flesh and unfolding outward to form a large oval with the tail at one end. Place the butterflied prawns in a dish.
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Step 2.
In a food processor, blend the roughly chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and green chillies together to form a fine paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and mix in the garam masala, black pepper, turmeric, lemon juice, and sugar. Rub this marinade all over the butterflied prawns, cover, and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
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Step 3.
Spread the dried breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan to a depth of about 1 cm (½ inch) and heat over medium heat until shimmering. While the oil heats, dip each marinated prawn into the breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to coat both sides evenly.
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Step 4.
Fry the prawns individually to prevent curling. Place one breaded prawn in the hot oil and hold it flat with a spatula for a few seconds. Cook for about 1½ minutes until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for another 1½ minutes. Once the first prawn is turned, it will not curl, so you can add the next prawn. Repeat until all prawns are cooked, adjusting heat to maintain a steady sizzle.
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Step 5.
Transfer the fried prawns to a plate lined with absorbent paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve hot with lemon wedges and your choice of chutney.