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.
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.
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 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:
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.
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.
These Butter Garlic Prawns Vietnamese style are best served immediately while still hot and glossy.
I love serving them with:
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.
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.
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.
