These fantastic spicy grilled prawns will simply blow your mind with their burst of amazing Indian flavors and you will be more than amazed to know how easy it is to make these smoky spicy prawns at home!
It has been very long since I have shared any prawn recipes and my prawn-lover inner-self is not at all happy with that! Have you seen how many prawn recipes I have already shared with you all?
That says a lot about my crazy love towards this incredibly delicious seafood! And that’s why it was high time I came with another insanely beautiful prawn recipe which you will also fall in love with at the very first look!
Spicy grilled prawns is what I have today for you all and trust me when I say this – nothing else could have made a better come-back than this! The delicious spicy prawns grilled to perfection is a must must try for all prawn lovers like me!
What are Spicy Grilled Prawns?
As you see the gorgeous spicy grilled prawns in the pictures, I am sure you are already hooked to it! Especially, if you are as crazily in love with prawn as me, you must already be making plans to make it asap!
So let me quickly tell you why I named this spicy grilled prawns! Prawn is an ideal ingredient for grilling and depending on what spices & aromatics you use to marinate them, they take on that avatar.
My spicy prawn marinate has all the flavorful Indian spices like chilli powder & cumin powder and aromatics which are typically used in all Indian dishes.
Thanks to the warm spices, these grilled prawns are infused with spicy aroma which are again perfectly balanced with natural sweetness from fresh cream. Prawns are very efficient in soaking up flavors from spices and create an amazing amalgamation with their own.
And then you get that mind-blowing spicy grilled prawns which are loved by almost everyone. It is also great for a party appetizer where your guests will surely come back for more!
To achieve that perfection, just be extra cautious while making these spicy grilled prawns to not overcook them as it is easy to do so! Prawns cook very quickly and hence demands your undivided attention towards them.
Even though I grilled them on stove top using a cast iron grill pan to keep things easy, you can grill them in the oven too keeping a close watch on them. Or you can pack the marinated prawns to an outside summer party and grill them on your hot grill outside on a bright sunny day!
Either way, these spicy grilled prawns will always turn out amazing and that’s a guarantee from me!
Ingredients for Spicy Grilled Prawns
Prawns: For grilling, I would recommend using jumbo prawns as any food item when grilled shrinks in size. Also, please try to use fresh prawns instead of frozen as fresh ones give you the best taste possible. Peel and devein the prawns but keep their tails intact for better presentation.
Garlic: Prawns taste best when they are flavored with garlic! I feel prawn with garlic is a match made in heaven! Use grated garlic or garlic paste in the marinate.
Chili powder: Since I call these spicy grilled prawns, there would obviously be an element of spiciness. I used a mix of chilli powder in my spicy grilled prawns – regular hot chilli powder for the heat and kashmiri chilli powder for the color.
Cumin powder: To add a note of earthiness, I also added cumin powder or ground cumin. Cumin has a very unique depth of flavor which enhances the overall flavor profile of any dish.
Oil/Ghee: To extract the flavors of all the beautiful spices, you need oil in the marinate. You can use mustard oil but if it is too pungent for you, feel free to use ghee or any flavorless oil like canola or sunflower.
Fresh cream: A generous dollop of cream changes the game of this spicy grilled prawns completely! It not only binds all the spices and allows them to stick to the prawns, but also keeps the grilled prawns tender and juicy while creating a perfect balance with the spiciness!
Seasoning: Season your marinate with salt and freshly crushed black pepper to round things up!
How to make Spicy Grilled Prawns?
Just a few steps to churn out these scrumptious spicy grilled prawns!
Step 1: Peel and devein the prawns keeping the tail end intact as that will give the dish a restaurant style look and also work as a handle to hold on to while eating. Wash and drain out all the excess water and ensure no extra moisture is left behind.
Step 2: Take the washed prawns in a mixing bowl and add all the marinating ingredients to it – salt, freshly crushed black pepper, garlic paste, kashmiri & regular chilli powder, cumin powder, oil and fresh cream.
Step 3: Toss the bowl or use a spatula to mix the prawns thoroughly with the spices making sure all ingredients are evenly mixed and each prawn is coated with the spicy marinate on all sides. Once you are happy with the mixing, let them rest for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Meanwhile, soak a few bamboo sticks in water for 10 minutes; this will prevent the bamboo sticks from burning while being grilled.
Step 5: After about 10 to 15 minutes, start threading the prawns into the sticks. Do not cramp a stick with too many prawns; max 3 to 4 with a tiny gap between two are good enough.
Step 6: Heat a grill pan or griddle until smoking hot. Brush some ghee or canola or vegetable oil over the grill grates.
Step 7: Place the skewered prawns on the hot grill pan in a single layer i.e. not one on top of the other as then all the prawns will not get the heat evenly.
Step 8: Allow the prawns to grill for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then brush them with leftover marinate or ghee and flip them over to allow the other side to grill for another 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat.
Step 9: Once both the sides turn opaque, your spicy grilled prawns are done. Take them out immediately to avoid overcooking the prawns.
Step 10: Serve the spicy grilled prawns on a platter, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and garnish with fresh cilantro! Enjoy!
More delicious prawns/shrimp recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Shrimp Mango Salad with Avocado and Lime Dressing
- Thai Spiced Barbecue Shrimp
- Crispy Fried Golden Shrimps
- Jumbo prawns - 500 gms, peeled, deveined with tails intact for nice presentation
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Black pepper – ½ tsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tsp
- Regular hot chili powder – 1 tsp
- Cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Oil (mustard/ghee/canola/vegetable) – 2 tbsp
- Fresh cream – ¼ cup (you can use heavy or single cream)
- Peel and devein the prawns keeping the tail end intact as that will give the dish a restaurant style look and also work as a handle to hold on to while eating. Wash and drain out all the excess water and ensure no extra moisture is left behind.
- Take the washed prawns in a mixing bowl and add all the marinating ingredients to it - salt, freshly crushed black pepper, garlic paste, kashmiri & regular chilli powder, cumin powder, oil and fresh cream.
- Toss the bowl or use a spatula to mix the prawns thoroughly with the spices making sure all ingredients are evenly mixed and each prawn is coated with the spicy marinate on all sides. Once you are happy with the mixing, let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, soak a few bamboo sticks in water for 10 minutes; this will prevent the bamboo sticks from burning while being grilled.
- After about 10 to 15 minutes, start threading the prawns into the sticks. Do not cramp a stick with too many prawns; max 3 to 4 with a tiny gap between two are good enough.
- Heat a grill pan or griddle until smoking hot. Brush some ghee, canola or vegetable oil over the grill grates.
- Place the skewered prawns on the hot grill pan in a single layer i.e. not one on top of the other as then all the prawns will not get the heat evenly.
- Allow the prawns to grill for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then brush them with leftover marinate or ghee and flip them over to allow the other side to grill for another 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Once both the sides turn opaque, your spicy grilled prawns are done. Take them out immediately to avoid overcooking the prawns.
- Serve the spicy grilled prawns on a platter, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and garnish with fresh cilantro! Enjoy!
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