Grilled Garlic Butter Prawns with Cajun Spices and Cream Recipe
Deliciously smoky and flavorful grilled garlic butter prawns infused with Cajun spices, lemon, and a creamy garlic butter sauce. Perfect for a delightful dinner served over rice or with crusty bread to soak up the rich sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American Cajun
Ingredients
Prawns
- 1.5 kg (3 lbs) shrimp, deveined but shell and head on
- 2 tbsp Cajun spice
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 250 g (2 sticks) butter
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp Cajun spice
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ cup heavy or whipping cream
Instructions
- Devein the prawns: If your prawns haven’t been deveined, use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors to make a long incision down the length of the back and carefully remove the vein.
- Marinate the prawns: Place the prawns in a large bowl. Pour over the olive oil and season with Cajun spice, lemon pepper, and salt. Mix thoroughly to ensure all prawns are evenly coated.
- Prepare the garlic butter sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot that is big enough to toss all the prawns later. Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, Cajun spice, and chilli flakes to the melted butter.
- Simmer the sauce: Cook the sauce mixture for about a minute until fragrant, then pour in the cream. Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat afterwards.
- Season the sauce: Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings. The sauce should be slightly too lemony and well-seasoned as it will mellow when prawns are added.
- Preheat the grill: Heat your outdoor grill, braai, barbecue, or griddle pan for 10-15 minutes to ensure it’s hot enough to cook prawns quickly and impart smoky flavor.
- Grill the prawns: Place the prawns on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until they turn a coral/orange color. As they cook, add each batch to the pot with the prepared sauce.
- Toss prawns in sauce: Once all prawns are grilled, toss them thoroughly in the garlic butter sauce to coat evenly.
- Serve: Serve the grilled garlic butter prawns hot over rice or with crusty bread, accompanied by extra lemon wedges for added zest.
Notes
- For best flavor, use an outdoor grill; the smoky aroma enhances the prawns beautifully.
- You can substitute heavy cream with half-and-half for a lighter sauce, but cream adds richness.
- If you prefer peeled prawns, shell before cooking but keep them deveined for texture.
- Adjust the chilli flakes to your preferred spice level.
- Serve immediately after tossing in the sauce to retain the prawns’ juiciness and flavor.
