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72 perfect prawn recipes

Is there anything prawns can’t do? We like them tossed through pasta in a spicy tomato sauce or done wafu pasta-style with sake-soy butter; but we’re equally pleased by prawn recipes that see the crustacean kissed by the smoke and char of a barbecue; prawn ceviche with a green-chilli dressing; or a comforting prawn curry. This versatile crustacean is available year-round, so don’t leave all your prawn eating to summer.

Prawns are easy and quick to cook, making them primed for simple dinners as well as impressive dinner party snacks. Whether you’re a lover of prawn pasta recipes, barbecued prawns with a lovely marinade or sauce, or a fresh prawn salad, nothing pleases like a prawn.

In our collection of perfect prawn recipes, we have delicious pasta recipes, barbecued delights like Mat Lindsay’s prawns with brown butter and tamari and light and quick seafood meals such as a soba noodle salad with sake grilled prawns that takes just 15 minutes to make. We also have brilliant starters, from our chicken, prawn and chilli pot stickers recipe or super-easy charred prawns on skewers with lime that takes less than 10 minutes to cook. For easy midweek dinners, try Liberté’s stir fry garlic prawns with chilli and Thai basil or our linguine with tomato, prawns and rocket.

Here are our best prawn recipes, perfect for all occasions.

Best prawn recipes to cook in 2024

Salt and pepper prawn and pork noodles

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Sweetcorn and prawn chowder with crusty baguette.

Prawn chowder with sweetcorn from Sean Moran

Prawn and tomato empanadas with picante sauce.

Tomato and prawn empanadas with picante sauce

Chilli-rosemary prawns with butter

Prawn and crab toast with a herb salad and sirarcha mayo with spoon of black sesame seeds.

Prawn and crab toast with herb salad

Lemongrass prawns with gỏi xoài, paul farag’s grilled prawns, corn, saffron pine nut milk.

Coconut prawns recipe with saffron curry

Saffron and coconut prawns

Two colourful bowls filled with paccheri pasta, tomatoes, prawns and herbs

Summer paccheri with prawns, tomato and pickled chilli

Seafood platter recipe with barbecued prawns and seared scla

Prawns with basil verde and seared scallops seafood platter

fast prawn linguine is the best of all dinner ideas

Prawn linguine with semi-dried tomatoes and olives

Prawns and clams baked in tomato and chilli.

Soba noodles with nori sesame butter and sake-grilled prawns

Tony Tan’s char kway teow

Philipa Sibley’s spaghettini, prawns, charred corn, green chilli, black garlic

Linguine with tomato, prawns and rocket

Aerial view of a bowl of noodles with prawns, mint and tomatoes.

Fragrant prawns with Thai basil and udon noodles

Vesuvio with prawns, white wine and tomato

Tedesca Osteria’s prawns with saffron, fino sherry and garlic sauce

Prawn sandwich with kimchi mayo.

Barbecued prawns with brown butter and tamari

Helly raichura’s bengali prawns and seablite (shorshe chingri).

bowls-of-mixed-seafood-salad-and-bread-sticks

Mixed grilled seafood salad with lemon mignonette

Chicken, prawn and chilli pot stickers

Okonomiyaki hotcakes with school prawns

Rockmelon, lime and poppy-seed prawn cocktails

Charred prawns on skewers with lime

Ham steaks with fried egg and chilli tamarind sauce

Prawn and sesame toasts

Palisa Anderson’s yum makeua (grilled eggplant salad with prawns)

Al Dente’s prawn ravioli

Tony Tan’s typhoon shelter prawns

Mustard butter prawns with corn and wilted greens

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Grilled prawns with coconut rice and peach sambal

Louis Tikaram’s Mooloolaba prawn ceviche with green chilli dressing

Mike McEnearney’s grilled prawn, watermelon and tomato salad

Prawn cocktail tower

Cutler & Co’s wood-grilled prawns with fried garlic and chilli oil

Penne with prawns and fra diavolo sauce

Prawn and scallop har gow with garlic oil

Charred cabbage with chestnuts and prawns

Prawns with saffron, chilli and quinoa

Raes on Wategos’ king prawn sangas

Prawn, cabbage and soba noodle salad

Four folded pastry triangles on a piece of brown paper, laid on a white round plate, on a black background.

Rumi’s prawn börek

A black plate holding fettuccine, prawns and chunks of tomato, with a black fork and spoon to the side.

Wafu pasta: Fettuccine with prawns, tomato and sake-soy butter

Prawns with black beans, chorizo and chipotle

Ma hor (galloping horses)

Spicy prawn and lemongrass sticks

Crab, prawn and fennel stew with rouille

Prawn, slaw and pico de gallo tacos

Prawn carpaccio with prawn oil

Charred prawns, eggplant and chickpeas with roast tomato vinaigrette

Pork, prawn and tofu fritters with salted chilli sauce

Prawn tostadas with corn relish and chipotle crème fraîche

King prawns and brown butter

Charred prawn sandwich with fennel, lemon myrtle and lime

Lau’s Family Kitchen’s prawns and char siu with vermicelli in a claypot

Kylie Kwong’s Cantonese-style prawn wonton soup

Bloody Mary prawn rolls

Prawn and bean salad with preserved lemon dressing

Prawn and pomelo salad with roasted chilli dressing

Prawn and avocado salad with spiced tomato dressing

Prawn and avocado with lime

Vietnamese-style grilled prawns with chilli dressing

Kylie Kwong’s prawn dumplings with organic tamari and chilli dressing

Bucatini with prawn fra diavolo

Grilled prawns with tamarind, coconut rice and watermelon

David Thompson’s prawns baked with vermicelli

Prawn curry

Liberté’s garlic prawns with chilli and Thai basil

Barbecued prawns with honey, sesame and lemon

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

14 best seafood recipes for special occasions

Needing a seafood element in your Christmas menu this year? Instead of purchasing a ready-made seafood platter, how about making your own.

Or better yet, try something different and fire up the barbie with some grilled prawns.

WATCH: Bang-Bang prawns with sweet chilli mayo

We’ve rounded up the 22 best seafood recipes to impress your guests this Christmas.

1. Bloody Mary king prawn cocktails

A retro starter meets a classic cocktail in this dish. Make the sauce like the drink – Worcestershire and all – then drizzle over juicy prawns and crispy bacon piled on cos lettuce with a celery and avocado salad.

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2. mud crab with coconut vermicelli salad.

Punchy Thai flavours combine with vibrant colours to create these morsels of deliciousness.

3. Lime and lemongrass barbecue prawn skewers

These lime and lemongrass BBQ prawn skewers will hit the spot on a hot summer day.

4. Seafood platter

Celebrate in style with oysters, king prawns and smoked salmon served with your own Romesco seafood sauce, prosciutto, breadcrumbs and chilli mango salsa.

5. Grilled prawns with sweet corn and caramelised coconut dressing

Chargrilled corn kernels, barbecued whole prawns and deep-fried rice paper crisps make this a main to remember.

6. Grilled prawns with sweet chilli and coriander jam

A zesty seafood dish that’s perfect for long summer lunches.

7. Smoked salmon and avocado roulade

Whip this up in just 10 minutes, whack it in the fridge to chill and you’ll have set-to-impress appetisers for 12 guests ready in no time!

8. BBQ marinated prawns with sriracha mayonnaise

These BBQ marinated prawns make for the best-ever starter dish on a hot summers day and are topped off with the creamy sriracha mayonnaise.

9. Spice-dusted prawn skewers

Entertaining a crowd? These marvels are ready in 20 minutes! Your lot will love the right royal citrus zing and spicy, nutty flavour.

10. Prawn cocktail

It’s a twist on the classic dinner party staple. BHG’s Karen Martini has added chorizo to this starter for a spicy and salty flavour element.

11. Seared scallops in shells with green olive tapenade

The combination of seared scallops and olive tapenade is simply heavenly. Serve these up as a canapé before you get your party started.

12. Bang-Bang prawns with sweet chilli mayo

Served with spicy sauce, shredded lettuce and crumbled up prawn crackers for even more crunch, this delicious dish works great as an appetiser or part of a party spread.

13. Oysters au gratin

Creamy, cheesy oyster morsels – just perfect to share, anytime!

14. Garlic sizzle prawns with haloumi and almonds

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a plate of delicious prawns…but Ed has a few ideas to take this classic to the next level. With Dr Harry’s help, he’s making garlic prawns with haloumi, honey, almonds and loads of fresh herbs and the result is truly incredible.

Looking for a platter to serve your seafood on?

Wedgwood Gio Gold Oval Serving Platter

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Based in Sydney, Eunice Oh is a content producer, K-beauty expert and major foodie. Her work has appeared in That's Life, Woman's Day, Girlfriend Magazine, 7News and BEAUTYcrew.

29 Christmas seafood recipes to impress your guests

Here, you’ll find everything from must-have grilled prawns to beautiful whole-baked fish and gourmet lobster recipes to really impress. We’ve also put together a tasty seafood platter with easy and complementary dressings to take the guessswork out of planning it yourself. Merry Christmas!

Follow these tips to make sure you’re buying the best quality of seafood for your family.

Would you prefer Christmas barbecue or Christmas salads to accompany lunch ?

How to buy fresh seafood with confidence

Fresh seafood (fish and shellfish) should always be bought from seafood markets or a reputable fishmonger.

Try to avoid supermarket seafood where possible as these are usually farmed varieties and are often less fresh than if you were buying first thing in the morning from a market.

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Whole fish should have firm, not spongy, flesh with red gills; the skin should be shiny with close-fitting scales and the eyes should be clear and bright.

Fish fillets and cutlets should have moist flesh with a firm texture; there should be no signs of discolouration or dryness. Any bones should be firmly attached to the flesh.

Crustaceans and molluscs should have brightly coloured shells or flesh, and the tentacles, heads, flesh or shells should be plump, firm and intact. Shells should be closed, or should close when tapped on a bench. There should also be no discolouration of the joints.

In general, seafood should look undamaged, with moist flesh and a firm texture.

All seafood should look fresh and have a fragrant, clean “sea” smell. Any seafood that smells “fishy” is no good to eat, the same goes with any seafood that smells slightly bitter and chemical. If you find yourself offended by the powerful fish odor, choose a different piece or visit another fishmonger.

How to transport it home

Bring an esky with you! If you are not going to use eat the seafood straight away then you need to keep it chilled for the journey home.

Ask the staff at the fishmongers to give you a little ice to add to your esky or cooler bag. Or ask them to double bag your seafood with a little ice.

Barbecued ocean trout with pomegranate topping on plate

Barbecued ocean trout with pomegranate & radish salad

Prawns with soy chilli cocktail sauce

Ocean trout on platter with cucumber salad

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Perfect barbecue prawns

Prawn cocktail platter

Lobster mornay

Oysters with pink and green mignonette dressings

baked salmon with tahini sauce & tabbouleh

Baked salmon with tahini sauce and tabbouleh

Salt and pepper baby squid

Romesco with fish skewers

Cherry and ginger gravlax

Provençale mussels

Grilled prawns with lemongrass and lime

Lobster with fennel salad

Barbecued squid salad

Whole snapper with pea and herb dressing

Grilled prawns with avocado cream and slaw

Korean-inspired barbecued squid on skewers

Soft shell crab with green onion aioli

Five spice squid with lime mayonnaise

Ginger and lemongrass whole baked snapper

Kingfish carpaccio with tangy dressing

Scallops with ginger and lemongrass

Seafood platter with dipping sauces

Warm spiced prawns with avocado salsa

Roast salmon with fennel and apple salad

Prawn and mango salad

Mango and prawn salad

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.