A quick and moreish Vietnamese prawn dish
If you love prawn dishes, these Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style are a must-try. Packed with buttery richness, fragrant garlic and a savoury Vietnamese-style sauce, this is one of those meals that disappears from the table in minutes. In fact, my husband came back not only for seconds but thirds today – always the best compliment for any home cook.
What I love about this dish is how simple it is to make. It looks impressive, tastes restaurant-quality, yet comes together surprisingly quickly. Perfect for a busy weekday dinner but also special enough for a weekend treat.
Finding fresh jumbo king prawns
Walking through our town centre yesterday afternoon, I spotted a brand-new fishmonger and curiosity immediately pulled me inside. Fresh seafood is very hard to resist, especially when the display looks this good.
I ended up bringing home a kilo of beautiful whole jumbo king prawns and two tilapia fish, which I’ll have to turn into something delicious for tomorrow’s dinner.
As soon as I saw those big, juicy prawns, I knew they deserved a recipe worthy of their freshness and quality. And that’s exactly how these Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style came about.
Why you’ll love these Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese Style
- Quick and easy: This dish takes very little preparation and cooks in under 10 minutes
- Full of flavour: The combination of butter, garlic, fish sauce and oyster sauce creates an incredibly rich and savoury flavour.
- Perfect with rice: The sauce is absolutely irresistible poured over a bowl of hot steamed rice.
- Restaurant-style at home: The glossy prawns and fragrant sauce make this feel like something you would order in a Vietnamese seafood restaurant.
Preparing the prawns
If you are using shell-on prawns like I did today, start by peeling off the shells while keeping the tails on for presentation. Then devein the prawns by making a shallow cut along the back and removing the vein. This step not only cleans the prawns properly, but also helps them curl beautifully once cooked and allows the sauce to soak into every bite.
Once cleaned, marinate the prawns with: salt, black pepper and paprika.
Mix everything well and leave for around 10 minutes while preparing the sauce.
The secret Vietnamese-style sauce
The magic of these Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style is definitely in the sauce. It is rich, savoury, slightly sweet and just a little spicy.
For the sauce, mix together:
- Sugar
- Fish sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Tomato paste
- Siracha
- A splash of water
If you enjoy extra heat, chilli flakes work beautifully too.
Meanwhile, mince a whole bulb of garlic. It may sound like a lot but garlic and butter are truly the heart of this dish.
Cooking the prawns
Place a large pan over high heat and melt a generous amount of butter. Once melted, add the minced garlic and fry until golden and fragrant. The smell at this point is absolutely incredible.
Add the marinated prawns and cook quickly for about one minute on each side. I usually lay them all in the pan first, then start flipping one by one. By the time I finish flipping the last prawn, it is already time to go back to the first one again.
The key here is not to overcook them. Overcooked prawns become dry and rubbery very quickly.
Once the prawns are nearly cooked through, pour in the prepared sauce and let everything simmer gently. Turn the prawns around in the sauce so every piece becomes beautifully coated.
After around 3 minutes, the sauce should thicken slightly and cling to the prawns perfectly. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
These Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style are best served immediately while still hot and glossy.
I love serving them with:
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Simple green vegetables
- Stir-fried greens
- Or even crusty bread to soak up the sauce
And whatever you do, do not waste the sauce. Spoon every last drop over the rice because that buttery, garlicky Vietnamese sauce is honestly the best part of the dish.
Final thoughts
This dish truly proves that simple ingredients can create something incredibly special. The fragrance of butter and garlic combined with the bold Vietnamese-style sauce takes these prawns to another level.
It is rich, comforting, quick to prepare and unbelievably moreish, the kind of meal that makes everyone go back for “just one more”.
If you are looking for an easy seafood dinner packed with flavour, these Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style are definitely worth adding to your recipe collection.
Butter Garlic Prawns – Vietnamese Style
Description
These Vietnamese-style Butter Garlic Prawns are rich, savoury, slightly sweet and irresistibly moreish. Fresh jumbo king prawns are cooked in fragrant garlic butter before being coated in a glossy Vietnamese-inspired sauce made with fish sauce, oyster sauce and Sriracha. Quick to prepare and ready in under 20 minutes, this seafood dish is best served with steamed rice and green vegetables for a comforting and delicious meal.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Prepare the prawns
- Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tails on for presentation if desired.
- Pat dry with kitchen paper.
-
Marinate the prawns
- Place the prawns in a bowl or big plate, season with salt, black pepper and paprika.
- Mix well and leave to marinate for around 10 minutes.
-
Make the sauce
- In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, oyster sauce, tomato paste, sugar, siracha and water until well combined.
-
Cook the garlic butter
- Heat a large pan over high heat and melt the butter.
- Add the minced garlic and fry until golden, fragrant and slightly crispy.
-
Cook the prawns
- Add the marinated prawns to the pan in a single layer.
- Cook for around 1 minute on each side until they turn pink and are nearly cooked through.
-
Add the sauce
- Pour the prepared sauce into the pan.
- Toss and turn the prawns so they are evenly coated in the sauce.
-
Simmer and finish
- Allow the sauce to simmer gently for around 3 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy.
- Do not overcook the prawns.
-
Serve
- Turn off the heat and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and green vegetables.
- Spoon the extra buttery garlic sauce generously over the prawns and rice.
Note
- Do not overcook the prawns or they may become rubbery
- Add chilli flakes for extra heat.
- The sauce is delicious spooned over rice or used as a dipping sauce with crusty bread.
