Garlic Chili Prawn (Shrimp)

This Garlic Chili Prawn is a must try recipe, garlicky, buttery, little sweet and spicy easy to follow prawn recipe that you can make it at home, a restaurant style home-cooked recipe (and a finger lickin' good recipe) just a few ingredients from your pantry.

What’s the Difference Between Shrimp and Prawns?

There are few crustaceans as misunderstood as the shrimp and the prawn. Some people think they’re the same thing; others think they differ only by size; others think they’re simply called different things in different countries, or regions, or states. And yet: all of these people are wrong! Shrimp and prawns are completely different creatures. Shrimp have claws on two pairs of their legs, and their front pincers are the largest. Prawns have claws on three pairs of their legs, and their second pincers are larger than their front ones. Generally speaking, prawns are larger than shrimp — though this can differ depending on the species.

When it comes to cooking and eating shellfish, shrimp and prawns are probably the most common choices. For the home cook, they are easy to source, and can be purchased fresh or frozen, in raw or cooked form, and even peeled or shell-on. They come in sizes from tiny little bay shrimp where a dozen can fit on a spoon, to giant tiger prawns that come in at as much as half a pound each or more. On menus and in conversation, the designation of shrimp and prawn are often colloquially used interchangeably, and it is easy to see why. They look and taste so alike that they are practically indistinguishable.

Shell on or Shell off?

Cooking with the shell on is the thing, shells contribute depth flavor of the meat. Leaving the shell on also shields the shrimp from the intense heat of the grill or pan, protecting them from drying out or overcooking and keeping the shrimp nice and juicy ( finger lickin' good) Beside sitting around the table with friends peeling and eating prawn or shrimp is a party right there.

How to Clean and Devein Prawn and Shrimp?

Step 1. Using a sharp scissor, clean and cut off the legs and cut the sharp spine and trim off the tails. Note: The tail also gives shrimp a pretty and more dramatic look, so if you want to highlight them in the dish, Just leave the tail on.

Step 2. Cut 1/4" deep along the center of the outer body and remove the vein and yellow membrane. Note: You can also devein using a toothpick, If you can't see the vein, pierce the joint between the shell segments with a toothpick between ⅛ and ¼-inch deep–this should be under where the shrimp intestinal vein sits. Gently lift the toothpick and vein above the shell and pull the remaining vein out in one.

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