Jamie Oliver Punchy Prawns

Jamie Oliver’s punchy prawns are shell-on king prawns pan-fried with garlic, oregano and lemon, served on a bed of green chilli salsa. It’s a 9-minute starter for 2.

In Simply Jamie (2024) this is the dish he built his green chilli salsa for. The sweet, garlicky prawns sit on three tablespoons of that jalapeño, mint and honey salsa, so every bite carries the fresh heat underneath. It looks like a restaurant starter but takes minutes.

The step that makes it is the garlic timing. Sliced garlic burns and turns bitter over a high heat, so Jamie holds it back and adds it only for the final minute, along with the oregano. You shake the pan constantly so it perfumes the oil without catching.

Jamie Oliver Punchy Prawns

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Dinner, Lunch, SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

4

minutes

Calories

173

kcal

Total time

9

minutes

Jamie’s 9-minute starter from Simply Jamie: butterflied king prawns fried with garlic, oregano and lemon, served on a bed of his green chilli salsa. Serves two.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 8 raw shell-on king prawns, from sustainable sources

• olive oil

• a few sprigs of oregano

• ½ a lemon

• 3 tablespoons of green chilli salsa

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Directions

• Prep the prawns:Peel and slice the garlic. Peel the king prawns, leaving the heads and tails intact, then run a small sharp knife down the back of each to butterfly it, removing the vein as you go.
• Fry:Put the prawns in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until just cooked, shaking the pan constantly. Add the garlic and the leaves from a few sprigs of oregano for the final minute.
• Serve:Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve on a bed of green chilli salsa.

FAQs

Why butterfly the prawns?

Running a knife down the back and opening each prawn out does two jobs at once. It exposes the vein so you can lift it out, and it gives the prawn more surface area, so it cooks faster and more evenly and curls into a pretty shape as it hits the heat.

That extra surface also grabs more of the garlic, oregano and lemon. Leave the heads and tails on while you do it, since they add flavour in the pan and make the finished plate look like something from a restaurant. A small, sharp knife is all you need.

Why add the garlic only at the end?

Sliced garlic is delicate and scorches quickly over the high heat these prawns need. Burnt garlic turns acrid and would drag the whole dish down, so Jamie keeps it out until the last minute. By then the prawns are almost done and the pan’s a touch calmer.

In that final minute the garlic and oregano soften and perfume the oil without colouring too far. Keep shaking the pan so nothing sits still long enough to catch. It’s a small piece of timing that makes a big difference to the flavour.

How do I stop the prawns going rubbery?

Watch them, not the clock, though 3 to 4 minutes is the guide. Prawns are done the instant they turn from grey and translucent to pink and opaque, and they curl into a loose C. Cooked a moment too long, they tighten into a rubbery O.

Keep the pan moving so they cook evenly, and pull them off the heat the second they’re just cooked through. The shells give a little protection, but they’re still quick. If in doubt, take them off early, since carryover heat finishes them on the plate.

Shell-on or peeled prawns?

Jamie peels the bodies but leaves the heads and tails on, which is the sweet spot. The heads release flavour into the oil as they fry, and the tails give you something to hold and make the plate look better. Fully peeled prawns are easier to eat but taste a little plainer.

Whichever you choose, buy from a sustainable source, as the recipe specifies. Raw prawns are essential here too, not pre-cooked, so they take on the garlic and lemon as they fry rather than just reheating.

What’s the green salsa, and can I swap it?

It’s Jamie’s own green chilli salsa, a quick blitz of jarred jalapeños, mint and honey. Spooned underneath, its fresh heat and gentle sweetness play against the rich, garlicky prawns, which is the whole idea of the dish. Make a batch and it keeps a week.

If you haven’t got it made, a good shop-bought green salsa or a spoon of salsa verde stands in at a push. It won’t be quite the same balance, but the prawns still want something bright and sharp beneath them rather than a plain plate.

Is it a starter or a main, and what do I serve with it?

As written it’s a starter for two, and a smart one for a dinner party. Double it for a light main, and add warm crusty bread to mop up the garlicky, lemony, salsa-slicked juices, which are too good to waste. Rice or a crisp salad round it out.

It’s part of a run of fast Jamie seafood dishes worth having in your back pocket. His zesty salmon tacos are another quick one for a different night, and there’s more on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.