These crispy prawns perfectly seasoned then fried to perfection. They're so easy to make to and result in tender, tasty prawns in a crunchy coating.
Ingredients
- 28 shell-on XXL prawns any type/size fine, cooking time will vary
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup cornflour (US cornstarch or potato starch) (plus 2 Tbsp extra)
- ¼ cup plain flour (all-purpose flour) (plus 1 ½ Tbsp extra)
- Neutral flavoured vegetable oil for frying
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Deep large saucepan
- deep frying thermometer
- Wire rack
Instructions
- Peel the prawns leaving the tail intact. Cut about ½ way through the prawn to devein and par butterfly. Dry thoroughly with paper towel. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the egg, garlic, salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cornflour, plain flour and breadcrumbs.
- Cover a tray in paper towel and place a wire rack over the top.
- Heat enough oil to reach about 2 inches up the side of a deep saucepan, over medium high heat until it reaches 170C/340F. Keep the temperature between 160C-170C (320F-340F) throughout the cooking process by adjusting the stove temp as needed. If it gets too hot, cool it down quickly by adding a little fresh oil, making sure not to overfill the pan.
- Mix the prawns through the egg mixture, then 5-7 at a time, coat them in the flour mixture. You don’t want to crowd the pan so just do enough that there will be gaps between them as they fry. Towards the end you may notice you have more crumbs than flour left in the bowl, so add the extra flour just if required.
- Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until they curl up and are just pale golden. After the first one, test for doneness by cutting into the thickest part - it should be opaque white. Use this amount of time for each batch and try not to overcrowd the pan.Cooks note: These prawns won’t get a deep golden brown since they have a high proportion of cornflour which doesn’t brown easily.
- Transfer the prawns to the wire rack for any excess oil to drip off. Bring the oil back to temp before the next batch.
- Once all the prawns are done, bring the oil back up to temperature and fry the whole lot again but in two batches just for 45-60 seconds until hot through and slightly more golden. This second fry sets the crunchy texture and makes sure they’re all hot through at the same time.
- Serve immediately. See notes for suggestions.
- 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.
- Serving: These are great served as a meal with a simple coleslaw and maybe some rice. I love serving with hot honey to drizzle over the top. Other sauces that work great are aioli, gochujang mayonnaise, nam jim sauce, sweet and sour sauce, sweet chilli sauce or Thai ajaad sauce.
- Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.
