You’re going to love these prawns rolls. Chunks of prawn meat coated in a creamy, herby, tangy mayo dressing and lettuce all sitting in slider buns (or whatever buns you like). It’s seriously delicious and ridiculously easy to make.
These are great for a party or a simple family dinner since you can make up to 10 sliders for finger food, or use hot dog buns for something more substantial. While classically served in a hotdog bun, I’ve opted for mini buns or slider rolls for a finger food style snack perfect for this time of year.
I use cute little crusty dinner rolls, but you can use any that you like. Try brioche rolls or larger brioche hot dog buns for something a bit extra!
The prawn filling can be made a day or two ahead, then stuff your rolls on the day of serving.
These steak crostini make a great starter / appetizer too.
Never Miss a Recipe!
Get the latest recipes straight to your inbox.
Ingredients & substitutions
Most of the ingredients in these prawn / shrimp rolls are self-explanatory – celery stalk, lettuce, chives, lemon -but there are a few that are worth a few notes.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Prawns / Shrimp: The hero of the show. For the best texture, purchase prawns or shrimp that still have the shell on and peel them yourself. Prawns cooked without their shell have a more watery and almost crunchy texture that I can just never get my head around.
Try your best to get sustainable prawns or shrimp and this will vary from location to location. I used tiger prawns here which are from a sustainable fishery where I live but not everywhere. Look out for a sustainability logo on the packaging or ask you fish monger for help if you aren’t sure. - Slider rolls are what I choose here to change the classic hot dog bun prawn rolls to a party appetizer. In saying that, the size of the roll you use and even the type are completely up to your personal preference. The filling will suit 8-10 slider rolls or 4-5 hotdog buns, depending on your generosity 😉.
- Mayonnaise: Use your favourite. I use light since that’s what we keep on hand.
- Sriracha is a delicious hot sauce but it can be swapped for another hot sauce too or leave it out if you don’t like the spice. It only adds the tiniest amount of spice though.
- Salted butter is what you want here and don’t forget to use it like I did when I shot these photos. I then had to go back and butter the buns before we ate them because the butter is so important in this dish.
More ideas: There are so many ways you can make these prawn rolls your own. If you like a brioche bun, use that. Spring onions or finely chopped red onion can be swapped in for the chives. Add some chopped fresh chillies for a great kick. Swap the lemon juice for lime juice and add some coriander for a little Asian flavour twist.
Serve them up with some lemon wedges for extra tang for those who want it. You can also try different dressings, like a cocktail sauce, marie rose sauce or thousand island dressing.
How to make them
While prawn rolls done this way are a classic Aussie sandwich, versions of them are found all over the world. They’re a similar idea to a lobster roll in the US but maybe a little more affordable in Aus than buying lobster.
They’re incredibly easy to make and ready in well under 30 minutes which makes them great as a weeknight dinner or a simple summer lunch.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
2. Add the remaining ingredients
Now the remaining filling ingredients get added in – prawns, celery and chives. Make sure to chop your prawns up into small chunks first – this ensures a great dressing to prawn ratio and makes them easier to eat.
3. Fill the buns
First and most importantly, don’t forget to butter the buns inside (like I did when I took these pictures and came back to the kitchen to find my delicious chunk of salted butter just sitting there feeling all left out). Buttering the buns inside adds such great flavour. Some people like to butter the outside and bake the buns a little before filling.
Line each bun with the torn lettuce leaves then generously load them up with the prawn filling. Serve immediately.
Making it ahead
You can make the prawn filling ahead of time for you prawn / shrimp rolls. It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days before serving. Technically, cooked prawns will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge but it’s always best to eat them as fresh as possible.
Don’t fill the buns until the day of serving or the bread may become soggy.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The bun might go a little soggy at the bottom though you can just save the filling on it’s own if potentially soggy buns don’t appeal to you. Make sure not to keep the prawns past a maximum of 4 days.
The difference between prawns and shrimp
Technically, prawns and shrimp are two different species that look very much the same. The flavour and texture, while they vary slightly are also quite similar. They are both interchangeable in recipes. Interestingly, depending on where you live you may be calling shrimp prawns and prawns shrimp simply because that’s what they are all colloquially known as in that country.
More recipes you’ll love
Here’s a few more prawn / shrimp appetizers you’ll love:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Did you try this prawn rolls recipe? Show it some love in the comments section below.
Hungry for more?
- Subscribe via Email, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
- Add Sugar Salt Magic as a Google Preferred Source.
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise (125ml)
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (4 tsp, notes 1 & 2)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon sriracha (or Tabasco to taste)
- 600 g whole cooked prawns peeled and roughly chopped (notes 3)
- 2 medium stalks celery finely diced (¾ cup)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 8-10 slider buns (or similar) or 4 hot dog buns
- Butter to taste
- 1 baby cos lettuce leaves washed and dried well
- More chives to top
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest and sriracha.
- Add the chopped prawns, celery and chives and mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill until required.
- Cut the buns down through the top then spread the insides with butter.
- Tear the lettuce into pieces and line each roll.
- Load them up with the prawn mixture and serve.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- One medium lemon will give you enough juice and zest.
- Prawns:
- You need 600g of cooked, shell-on prawns. Once the shells are removed you’ll have about 300g of prawn meat.
- If you can’t find cooked prawns with the shell on, raw shell-on prawns and cooking them yourself will give you a better texture.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission for my referral, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sugar Salt Magic.
