Name: Garlic Butter Barbecue Prawns
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 1kg green (raw) king or tiger prawns, shell on, deveined; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 100g butter; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 long red chilli, finely chopped (seeds in or out, to taste); 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped; crusty bread, to serve

Recipe

Garlic Butter Barbecue Prawns

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 Servings

1kg green (raw) king or tiger prawns, shell on, deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3½ oz butter
0 ozarlic cloves, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped (seeds in or out, to taste)
2 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
crusty bread, to serve

Method

Step 1: To devein prawns yourself, run a skewer along the back through the shell and pull out the dark vein. Pat the prawns dry and toss with the olive oil and salt.
Step 2: Heat the barbecue flat plate or a grill pan to high. Cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until the shell turns pink-orange, then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until the flesh is opaque all the way through.
Tip: Cook in batches if your plate isn't big enough to fit them all flat. Crowding the prawns means they steam instead of char.
Step 3: While the prawns cook, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook gently for 1 minute, just until fragrant, then take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Step 4: Tip the hot prawns into a large bowl, pour over the garlic butter and toss to coat. Scatter with parsley and serve immediately with bread and lemon wedges.

Tips

Buy prawns a size up from what you'd normally use for a stir-fry. Smaller prawns overcook in the time it takes the shell to colour.
A squeeze of lemon into the butter right at the end stops it tasting flat, add it off the heat so it doesn't split the butter.
If your barbecue runs hot and uneven, move the prawns to a cooler spot on the plate once they've coloured, rather than leaving them on the hottest part the whole time.

Variations

No barbecue: cook in a hot grill pan or frying pan on the stove using the same method and times.
Skewer them: thread the prawns onto metal or soaked wooden skewers before cooking if you want to turn a whole batch at once.
Herb swap: use coriander instead of parsley and add a splash of fish sauce to the butter for an Asian-leaning version.

Storage and make-ahead

Best eaten hot, straight off the barbecue. Leftover prawns keep in the fridge for a day and are good cold in a sandwich or salad, but the garlic butter won't taste the same reheated.