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Cast iron frying pan full of tandoori bbq prawns
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5 from 8 votes

tandoori prawns

Tandoori prawns in a buttery, spicy sauce. This is one you have to try.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: bbq shrimp, tandoori prawns
Servings: 4
Calories: 230kcal
Author: romain | glebekitchen

Ingredients

  • 12 prawns 16-20 count (per pound) in the shell (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tsp garlic ginger paste
  • 2 tsp tandoori masala see notes. If you use a commercial blend with food colouring in it be prepared to have it come out a lot redder than the pictures.
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chili powder you can use less but the butter really does tone down the fire
  • pinch kasoori methi - maybe 1/8 of a tsp if you really feel like measuring
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt - if you are using commercial tandoori seasoning you probably will not this salt.
  • 1/4 lemon juiced
  • cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Do your prep

  • Make your spice mix. Combine the tandoori masala, kashmiri chili powder, salt and kasoor methi. Note that if you are using commercial tandoori masala it likely already has lots of salt so you won't likely need more.
  • Prep your cilantro garnish. Have your lemon ready. Have some naan standing by for dipping into the buttery goodness. This is a really easy recipe but it does go fast.

Make the tandoori prawns

  • Pick a frying pan just big enough to hold all the shrimp in a single layer. That's important. Big enough for a single layer. But not so big that the butter just films the bottom of the pan. A 9 to 10 inch pan is about right.
  • Melt the butter over medium low heat. You don't want things to get too hot.
  • When the butter starts to foam add the garlic ginger paste. Cook for about a minute. You want gentle bubbles. You aren't frying things hard.
  • Add the spice mix (tandoori masala, kashmiri chili powder, salt and kasoori methi). Cook the spices in the butter for about 1 minute. Still want gentle bubbles. This is called blooming spices. Oil soluble compounds dissolve in the butter and flavour magic happens.
  • Add the lemon juice. Squeeze the lemon with one hand and through your fingers on your other hand to catch the seeds. That's a handy trick whenever you need fresh lemon juice. Life skill. No extra dishes. Cook for another minute.
  • Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 3 minutes. Still want gentle bubbles.
  • After 3 minutes, flip the shrimp. If they are uniformly pink cook them another three minutes. If there is a little grey when you flip them go 4 minutes total on the second side. Overdone shrimp suck. Err slightly on the side of caution. You will be happier for it. I will be happier for you.
  • Garnish with a little minced cilantro. Serve with naan for dipping into the sauce. You will cry if you don't have something to mop up the sauce.

Notes

All tandoori masalas are not created equal. That's why I came up with my own. You can make this with commercial tandoori masala. You just need to leave out the salt. Depending how much salt in the version you use it may even be a little salty. Also, commercial blends have food colouring so your results will not look the same as the pictures.
Shrimp shells add a little bit of extra flavour. You can shell them before you cook them. They will cook a little bit faster so watch them carefully. Just pink is what you want.
This recipe uses 16-20 count shrimp. That's 16-20 per pound. If you are using smaller or larger  shrimp you will need to adjust your timing accordingly.
Tandoori prawns are great on their own. If you want to mix things up I like them as a sort of tarka on a bed masoor dal, turmeric and salt. Makes for a fun entree or really funky appetizer.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 869IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg