Ready in just 20 minutes, these BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns (Shrimp) are perfect for an impressive weeknight meal with a glass of white wine and a side of Rocket Salad With Parmesan or Greek Cucumber Salad. They are the ultimate summer dish and delicious addition to your summer dinner table to wow your guests.
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Juicy and plump tiger prawns cooked on the BBQ and then coated in a garlicky lemon butter sauce. Best way to enjoy these delicious BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns is with a bowl of salad and Bazlama (a type of Turkish flat bread) to mop up the delicious Mediterranean sauce.
Skewers (or Kabobs - Kebabs) are a great way to kick off the summer barbecue season and are also fun to prepare. Try some of my most popular and delicious skewers like Lamb Shish Kebab and Adana Kebap.
Do you love prawns as much as I do? Check my other quick and easy prawn recipes Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta and Baked Prawns (Karides Guvec).
Difference Between Shrimp and Prawns
Although they both taste similar, they are scientifically two different species. Prawns are larger than shrimps and they live in freshwater. Shrimp generally live in salt water.
As per the taste, prawns are slightly sweeter than shrimps, and a bit more expensive to purchase.
Here in the UK, the word prawn is more common on menus than shrimp. Shrimp in the UK is a very small crustacean with a brownish shell and is used to make potted shrimps.
If you are from Canada or U.S, you are more likely to call them shrimp.
Why This Recipe Works?
- These BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns (or shrimp) on skewers make for a wonderfully delicious summer dining experience.
- They’re easy to prepare and can be cooked either on the BBQ, grill or on the stovetop.
- This delicious seafood recipe is extremely easy, takes hardly any time at all to prepare, and cooks in minutes. A perfect weeknight meal for busy nights!
- You can serve these delicious prawn kebabs as a main dish as well as a snack or an appetizer.
- BBQ garlic butter prawns are packed with fresh Mediterranean flavors that the whole family will love.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Prawns (or Shrimp) - Fresh raw tiger prawns are the best option for making BBQ garlic Butter Prawns as they're big, juicy and they taste amazing. Select large, raw prawns for grilling, as these will stand up to the heat and can be skewered and turned easily during cooking.
- Olive oil - I keep the marinade for grilling simple. A little bit of olive oil and salt-pepper is all you need for flavor and moisture. You can substitute olive oil with avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Butter - Adds extra flavor to the grilled prawns, especially when infused with lots of garlic and chilies.
- Garlic - It is the main flavor note in this barbecue shrimp recipe. I use three or four cloves of fresh garlic and chop them finely before adding them to the butter.
- Lemon - It adds a fresh Mediterranean touch to shrimps. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. You can substitute it with lime.
- Parsley - I use finely chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley. Other herbs you can add are coriander, dill, chives, chervil, and basil.
- Seasoning - Simplicity is the key for this recipe, salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper are all you need!
Step-by-Step Instructions
This BBQ Shrimp with Garlirecipe is very easy to make. However, if you want to learn how to grill them on a BBQ without overcooking, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Prepare and Marinate the Shrimp
Soak the bamboo skewers in water to prevent them from burning for at least half an hour before starting to grill.
Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact, and then devein it. Watch the video on the recipe card if you want to see how to peel and devein a shrimp.
Place it on a flat surface. Run a very sharp small knife carefully across the shrimp so that the body is divided into two attached halves. You want to cut to the back but not all the way through. Repeat the same for the remaining shrimp.
In a medium-sized bowl combine olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add the shrimp to the bowl and let them marinate while preparing the garlicky butter sauce.
Prepare The Garlicky Butter Sauce
Place a medium-size pan on low heat and add the butter. Gently melt the butter and add chopped garlic, chilies, parsley, and salt.
Let them infuse gently on low heat while grilling the prawns.
Grill the Shrimp
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, make sure it is clean and hot before starting to grill the shrimp skewers. Thread the shrimp onto skewers while the grill is heating. I use 25 cm (10") bamboo skewers and fit 2 shrimp each. You can also use metal skewers and fit more depending on the size of your skewers.
Repeat the same with the remaining shrimp.
Alternatively, you can skip butterflying the shrimp to fit more into skewers. However, it would take longer to cook them. Add an extra minute on each side if you want to cook the shrimp whole.
Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook each side for a minute. We want to cook the shrimp halfway as we are going to finish cooking them in garlicky butter for extra flavor!
Remove the shrimp from the skewers, toss them into garlicky butter, and cook for another minute, or until the shrimp is opaque and white/pink.
Sprinkle on the lemon juice and serve immediately on pieces of bread with a side of salad.
Top Tips From The Chef
- Use fresh raw shrimp if possible. Frozen ones work too. Make sure to thaw them before using them and also consume them the same day.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them for at least half an hour before threading the shrimp.
- Don't be tempted to cook your prawns any longer than stated in the recipe, they will get rubbery and unpleasant to eat!
- Peeling shrimp before marinating is a great way to infuse them with flavor and keeps them nice and juicy when grilling. However, you can leave the shell on before grilling and save time.
Recipe FAQs
Butterflying the prawns is more elegant when you are presenting them. Also, cutting them in half helps them to infuse the flavor, and they cook much faster.
You can leave them uncut and fit more into skewers if you don't want to butterfly the shrimp. However, it would take longer to cook them. Add an extra minute on each side if you want to cook the shrimp whole.
My favorite way to eat this shrimp on the grill is to have them with some bread and salad on the side. Check out some of my recipes for great ideas: Black Pepper Sourdough Focaccia, Turkish Bread - Ramazan Pidesi, Tawa Naan With Garlic, Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad), Greek Pita Bread, Lebanese Fattoush Salad, Spicy Thai Mango Salad, and Warm Austrian Potato Salad.
Yes, if it is more convenient for you, you can use frozen shrimp for this recipe. You need to make sure they are thawed before cooking them. You can thaw them in the fridge overnight. If you forget to thaw them overnight, you can defrost them in a large bowl of cold water to speed things up.
Simply place them in a large bowl full of cold water and keep changing the water every 10 minutes until they are totally defrosted. It might take up to an hour depending on the size of your shrimp.
Related Recipes
For more delicious seafood recipes why not try?:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these garlicky Grilled Shrimp Skewers as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 kg tiger prawns (or 24 pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Garlic Butter Sauce
- 40 g butter
- 1 red chili (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare and Marinate the Shrimp
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water to prevent them from burning for at least half an hour before starting to grill.
- Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact, and then devein it. Watch the video on the recipe card if you want to see how to do it.
- Place it on a flat surface. Run a very sharp small knife carefully across the shrimp so that the body is divided into two attached halves. You want to cut to the back but not all the way through. Repeat the same for the remaining shrimp.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
- Add the shrimp to the bowl and let marinate while preparing the garlicky butter sauce.
Prepare The Garlicky Butter Sauce
- Place a medium-size pan on low heat and add the butter.
- Gently melt the butter and add chopped garlic, chilies, chopped parsley, and salt.
- Let them infuse gently on low heat while grilling the prawns.
Grill the Shrimp
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, make sure it is clean and hot before starting to grill the shrimp skewers.
- Thread the shrimp onto skewers while the grill is heating. I use 25 cm ( 10") bamboo skewers and fit 2 shrimp on each. You can also use metal skewers and fit more depending on the size of your skewers.
- Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook each side for a minute. We want to cook the shrimp halfway as we are going to finish cooking them in garlicky butter for extra flavor!
- Remove the shrimp from the skewers and toss them into garlicky butter and cook for another minute, or until the shrimp is opaque and white/pink.
- Sprinkle on the lemon juice and serve immediately on pieces of bread with a side of salad.
Video
Notes
- These Grilled Tiger Prawns are ready in 20 minutes, they are perfect for an impressive weeknight meal.
- Use fresh raw shrimp if possible.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them for at least half an hour before threading the shrimp.
- Don't overcook the prawns, they will get rubbery.
- Peel and devein the shrimp before you marinate them to help them to soak up the flavor.
- If using frozen shrimp, thaw them totally before cooking them. Also, consume the leftovers in 24 hours, and don't freeze them again!
Nutrition
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Sena
This is one of the best prawn dishes! Everyone loved it, definitely making it again.
Erin
Such a great way to make shrimp. This recipe is so easy and the shrimp taste heavenly.