Coconut Tamarind Grilled Prawns

A quick and easy appetizer while camping, grilled prawns are marinated in a coconut-tamarind sauce, with a touch of brown sugar. The prawns only need to marinate for 20 minutes, to infuse them with flavor, then a quick grill. You can eat them as is, or wrap them in lettuce leaves or serve them alongside rice.

Tamarind is a fruit that has a sweet-sour flavor, similar to lemons, apricots, and dates mixed together. The paste is the concentrated fruit cooked down to thicken and can be found canned or frozen. If you can’t find tamarind paste, try using lemon or lime juice, or even ketchup!

Most of the shrimp’s body fat is located in the head. Some cooks like to remove the head, believing it can make the flesh soft or mushy. However, leaving the head on while grilling adds moisture and flavor and gives an unusual presentation.

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Three grilled prawns, heads on, rest on a piece of lettuce.

You can serve the prawns as is, wrap them in lettuce leaves, or serve them with a side of rice.

A hand is holding up a whole, raw jumbo shrimp with the head and shell on.

Carefully remove the shell of the the shrimp, trying to leave both the head and tail on.

A small bowl of tamarind paste with hot water being poured over the top.

It is necessary to reconsitutue the tamarind paste with a little hot water, otherwise it is too thick to mix with the other ingredients.

A hand is mixing a small bowl of tamarind paste with hot water.

Gently use your fingers to the massage the paste with warm water to create a smooth consistency.

A grill brush is basting four shrimp on a grill.

Though the shrimp grill quickly, try to baste them with a little of the marinade while cooking.

Coconut Tamarind Grilled Prawns Recipe

A quick and easy appetizer while camping, grilled prawns are marinated in a coconut-tamarind sauce, with a touch of brown sugar.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Asian

Difficulty Seasoned

Method Grill

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 206kcal

Author adminsaffron

Equipment

grill

Ingredients

8 jumbo prawns, heads on

Tamarind Coconut Marinade

1/4 cup tamarind pulp
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Slap Yo’ Daddy "Love Me Tender" All Purpose Rub
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

Prepare the prawns by cutting off the antennae and trimming off the sharp spikes on the front of the head of the shrimp.
Carefully remove the shell from the body of the shrimp taking care to leave part of the tail and the head intact.

Tamarind Coconut Marinade

Mix the tamarind pulp with warm water. Press the pulp between your fingers to get about ¼ cup of pulp mixture. You may need to use more or less as the consistency of the pulp varies by brand.
Mix the pulp with the coconut milk, sugar, rub, and oil in a gallon plastic zip bag. Place the shrimp in the bag and marinate for 20 minutes.
Grill the shrimp over hot coals and remove when just cooked. Baste the shrimp with the leftover marinade as you grill, taking care not to overcook the shrimp.
Serve immediately with garnished with cilantro.