Caramelized Garlic Black Pepper Prawn

Caramelized Garlic Black Pepper Prawn are juicy prawns tossed in buttery black pepper sauce with caramelized garlic and shallots. Bold, aromatic, and ready in 20 minutes! Garlicky and buttery prawns in a savory dish.

Prawn gently cooked with minimum heat to keep the natural moisture locked in, then mixed into a mildly sweet sauce flavored with caramelized garlic. This shrimp dinner is a weekly favorite dish in my home, and it could be in yours, too.

For a dish this bold and glossy, you’ll want a title that’s short, punchy, and makes people instantly hungry.

A Bold and Flavor-Packed Seafood Dish

If you’re craving a prawn recipe that’s equal parts fancy restaurant vibe and easy home cooking, then this Garlic Black Pepper Prawns dish is about to be your new favorite. Imagine juicy prawns seared to perfection, coated in a glossy caramelized garlic sauce with a spicy black pepper kick. Add in roasted shallots and whole garlic cloves for extra flavor bombs, and you’ve got yourself a plate that’s impossible to resist. It’s the kind of dish that looks restaurant-worthy but is surprisingly simple to whip up at home.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its flavor layering. First, the lime brightens the prawns, cutting through their natural richness. Then comes the star duo—garlic and black pepper—caramelized in butter until aromatic. Finally, oyster sauce, sugar, and chicken stock powder bring everything together into a glossy, umami-packed sauce. Pair it with warm steamed rice, and you’ll be licking the plate clean.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This prawn dish is a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot of savory. It’s fast enough for a weeknight dinner but elegant enough for entertaining. Think of it as your secret weapon for impressing family, friends, or even yourself when you just need a flavor-packed treat.

Once you try these Caramelized Garlic Black Pepper Prawns, you’ll understand why garlic + butter + pepper is one of the most iconic flavor trios in Asian-inspired cooking.

Before we start sizzling, let’s do a quick seafood 101: prawns vs. shrimp. Shrimp usually curl up when cooked thanks to their overlapping thorax, while prawns have straighter bodies because of how their segments stack. Shrimp are more common in saltwater, while prawns tend to come from freshwater and are generally bigger. In short, prawns are shrimp’s bigger, straighter cousin.

Alright, class dismissed—let’s get cooking these caramelized garlic black pepper prawns.

Ingredients of Caramelized Garlic and Black Pepper Prawn

• Prawn washed: Fresh, peeled, and deveined prawns are the star of this dish, providing a succulent and tender texture.
• Juice of Lime: A quick lime marinade brightens the prawns, cutting through any fishy smell and balancing their richness. The acidity also helps tenderize the prawn meat slightly, making them more succulent.
• Onion: Blended together with black pepper, onion creates the base of the sauce. Once sautéed in butter, it adds sweetness, depth, and body to the flavor.
• Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper adds a robust and spicy kick to the prawns.
• Unsalted Butter: adds richness and helps caramelize the aromatics (onion, garlic, shallots). Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt level more precisely. It also gives the sauce a silky texture.
• Shallots: Shallots offer a milder, sweeter flavor that can complement the dish well.
• Garlic: Caramelized garlic = flavor bomb. As it cooks slowly in butter, it turns golden and sweet, releasing a nutty aroma that ties the whole dish together.
• Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce brings saltiness, depth, and a touch of sweetness that enhances the natural flavors of prawns.
• Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the prawns and balances the dish.
• Sugar: Adding a small amount of sugar helps caramelize the sauce and rounds out the salty, peppery notes with a hint of sweetness.
• Chicken Stock Powder: It deepens the savory flavor of the sauce, making it taste like it’s been simmering for hours

How to Make Caramelized Garlic and Black Pepper Prawn

• Marinate the prawns
  Place prawns in a bowl, squeeze in the juice of one lime, and let them marinate for 15 minutes. This removes any fishy smell and gives a fresh zing.
• Prepare the black pepper blend
  In a blender, combine the onion and black pepper until smooth. This forms the flavorful base of the sauce.

• Sauté the aromatics
  Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion-black pepper blend and sauté for 1 minute. Then toss in the shallots and garlic, cooking until softened and fragrant.
• Cook the prawns
  Add the marinated prawns to the pan along with oyster sauce, salt, sugar, and chicken stock powder. Stir well and let everything cook for about 5 minutes, or until the prawns turn pink and are fully cooked.
• Garnish and serve
  Transfer the prawns onto a serving plate, garnish with a rosemary sprig, and serve immediately with steamed rice. Enjoy!

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