Salt and pepper prawns
A thin cornflour coating helps shell-on prawns turn crisp.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Makes
- Serves 2
Your new skill: Practise timing and combining the separate parts.
A thin cornflour coating helps shell-on prawns turn crisp. The finishing garlic and chilli need only a brief toss once the prawns are cooked.
Your ingredients
Get ready: Kitchen paper, bowl, deep frying pan, tongs, splatter guard and heatproof plate.
- 300 g raw shell-on prawns
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- Neutral oil suitable for shallow-frying
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot or onion
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red chilli, or less to taste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped green chilli, or less to taste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Chinese salt-and-pepper seasoning, or less to taste
Let’s make it
-
Dry and coat
Remove the digestive vein if present, keeping shells on. Pat prawns thoroughly dry, then toss with cornflour to coat lightly.
-
Shallow-fry carefully
Heat a shallow layer of suitable frying oil in a deep pan without letting it smoke. Add prawns in batches. Turn until shells are crisp and the flesh is opaque and cooked through. Use a splatter guard and lift onto a plate.
-
Fry aromatics
Allow excess oil to cool before removing it safely, leaving a thin layer in the pan. Fry shallot, chillies, garlic and ginger over medium heat for about a minute.
-
Season briefly
Return prawns, add about ½ tsp seasoning, or less to taste, and toss with spring onion. Serve hot, peeling shells as you eat unless you prefer the crisp shell.
What to try next
For another kitchen idea, explore Garlic pak choi and Egg fried rice.
Keeping it: Cool promptly, put in a covered fridge container within 1–2 hours and use within 48 hours. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Cooked it? Give your chef panda a kitchen win.
