I'm thrilled to share my attempt at making these Sizzling Garlic Prawns and let me tell you; they're absolutely divine! King prawns sautéed in olive oil, butter and garlic, then drizzled with lemon juice and served with crisp bread to dunk in its intriguing sauce.
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What is Sizzling Garlic Prawns?
It is a traditional tapas dish; tapas means appetizer in Spanish. In this dish, minced garlic is added to olive oil, creating a pil pil sound.
The Gambas (prawns) are then introduced to this oil, followed by fresh seasoning. And this dish is served whilst it's still hot and sizzling, hence the name!
I Love This Dish Because?
- It is a One-pan dish.
- Ready in just 10 minutes.
- SO flavorful!
Ingredients
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
Raw prawns: I use raw king prawn, peeled and deveined.
Olive oil: I recommend using high quality olive oil for better taste.
Garlic: I use 5 cloves of fresh garlic.
Seasonings: I use sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and salt.
Butter: I use unsalted butter.
Lemon juice: Preferably freshly squeezed, but store-bought will also work.
Fresh parsley: I prefer to chop the leaves right before I add them.
How To Prepare The Raw Prawns?
First, to peel the prawn, you must remove the head and legs. Then, peel out the shell from the rest of the body. You can do this easily if you squish the tail with your fingers.
Next, you'll de-vein the prawn. Do this by using a small, sharp knife to make a slit down the back of a prawn to reveal a dark vein. Pull this dark vein out from the prawn. Repeat this process with all the prawns.
Now, wash the prawns and pat dry with paper towels.
How to Make Gambas Pil Pil?
One: Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Two: Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the oil is sizzling.
Tip: Use a frying pan that fits your prawns in a single layer; that way, they can be fully immersed in the oil and cook fast.
Three: Once it is sizzling, add the prawns and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times until they turn pink.
Four: Once pink, stir in the salt, pepper, paprika and lemon juice. After which, you can turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
Tip: Prawns cook pretty fast, so be sure to cook them sparingly.
Five: Transfer the prawns and all its oil into a dish or bowl and serve.
Tips
This dish is absolutely gluten-free, and if you skip the butter, it will be dairy-free as well.
I didn't want to make this dish extra spicy, so I used sweet paprika instead of hot paprika.
This dish is ideally served as an entrée, followed by a main course. But it is also so rich that you can serve it as a main dish with crisp bread, sautéed vegetables, rice or noodles.
Gambas Pil Pil is traditionally served in clay/terracotta dishes. However, I served it in one large bowl.
I store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Variations
Red or green chilli pepper: This is for the people who like fresh chillies in their food (and those who can tolerate it, too). You can use red or green chilli peppers and mince them before adding them to the pan.
Smoked Paprika: It tastes like paprika but with an edge!
Coriander/Rosemary: If you can't get your hands on parsley, coriander or rosemary can work as its replacement.
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Recipe
Sizzling Garlic Prawns
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 450 g raw prawns
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Peel, devein and wash the prawns, then pat them dry with paper towels.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan, add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat until the oil is sizzling.
- Once it is sizzling, add the prawns and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times until they turn pink.
- Once pink, stir in the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. After which, you can turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
- Transfer the prawns and all its oil into a dish or bowl and serve.
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