Gather your friends, pull up a chair, dig in, and mop up the delicious pan juices from these Gin-Gingered Spot Prawns. This easy shrimp and pickled ginger appetizer with a splash or two of gin takes only 5 minutes to make. Here's a memorable starter your friends will love!
Use spot prawns or wild-caught shrimp that are available where you live and make these Gin-Gingered Prawns. It's an easy appetizer you won't easily forget!
Jump to:
❤️Why you'll love this recipe
It makes a quick and easy appetizer. Once you make these Gin-Gingered Prawns, this appetizer recipe is bound to become a favourite! Not only because they're succulent and almost sweet, but because this recipe makes the easiest appetizer ever!
This recipe for prawns with gin and ginger has stood the test of time. This Gin-Gingered Prawns recipe appeared in a cookbook by Diane Clement in the 1980s. It's a classic recipe that shrimp lovers never tire of. I originally posted this recipe in 2015. I've updated it with new information and photos to make it more helpful.
Prawns or shrimp are such versatile shellfish. I cook with them often to make show-stopper appetizers like Grilled Cajun Prawn Kabobs, Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp or Prawn and Chorizo Skewers with Lemon Dip.
These gin-gingered prawns have been a favourite for years, however. Sizzled with butter and green onions and flavoured with pickled ginger and, of course, gin, these are succulent little bites swimming in a sauce that begs to be mopped up with a good crusty baguette.
🛒Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
- fresh or frozen spot prawns or large shrimp: you'll want to peel and devein these. Leaving the shells does add flavour, but it makes it a little messy to eat. I sometimes leave the tails on to have a "handle."
- butter: adds rich flavour
- green onions: you can use chives instead, if you like.
- pickled ginger: a must! You can buy this in a jar in the international foods section of your grocery store. Some of it is sweetened with aspartame, some is not. You can often buy a small amount from the sushi-making counter in your local supermarket. It often comes without the pink food colour as well.
- gin: use your favourite artisan gin.
🔪Instructions
To make this spot prawn appetizer, simply melt a little butter in a skillet, add some chopped green onions, toss in the shelled prawns, some pickled ginger with a little of the pickling liquid, and a generous splash or two . . . or three . . . of gin.
Give it a quick stir, remove the pan from the heat and serve right away, right in the skillet!
How to serve gin and ginger prawns
Keep it casual! Gather some friends around the skillet, or serve these prawns with ginger in individual mini cast iron skillets. Offer a loaf of crusty bread (either wheat or gluten-free) for dipping.
Or Make it a meal! Serve over rice noodles, pasta, or rice. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Equipment
You can use any type of skillet. I like to cook and serve these in cast iron as it helps to retain the heat and keeps the prawns hot. I make this recipe using either a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or individual mini cast-iron skillets.
👍🏼 Elaine's Tips
- While fresh spot prawns are always best, large wild-caught frozen shrimp will also work beautifully in this appetizer recipe. Check to make sure the shrimp you buy are wild-caught and "ocean-wise" indicating that they have been sustainably harvested. Farmed shrimp have very little flavour.
- Wondering how to buy and cook shrimp or prawns that turn out perfectly every time? Check out my Complete Guide to Cooking Shrimp and Prawns.
- Don't forget to add a little of the pickled ginger liquid from the jar! It adds a lot of extra flavour that really makes this recipe zing!
Storage
While it's highly unlikely you'll have any leftovers, be sure to refrigerate them in a closed container right away.
And if you love grilled shrimp or prawns, you'll love this recipe for 10-Minute Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers.
🗒 More recipes for shrimp and prawns
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir Fry
- 10 Minute Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers
- Best Healthy Shrimp Recipes
- Easy Thai Red Curry with Shrimp
🌟 Did you make this recipe?
When you make this recipe for gin-gingered prawns, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Gin-Gingered Spot Prawns
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 large spot prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons pickled ginger with pickling liquid chopped
- ¼ cup gin
- 1 large baguette, gluten-free if necessary
Instructions
- Remove the shells from the prawns and set aside. This task is much easier when the prawns are slightly frozen. You can leave the tails on, if you'd like.
- Melt butter in a skillet over low heat.
- Add the chopped green onions and stir for a minute until slightly softened.
- Add the prawns. Cook for no more than 2 minutes or until just translucent.
- Add the chopped pickled ginger, a little of the ginger juice from the jar, and the gin.
- Cook for one more minute.
- Serve immediately, right in the skillet(s) with a crusty baguette for dipping.
Lily
Amaaaazing! I'm going to make these for New Year's Eve, too. This will be a new favourite way to eat shrimp from now on!
Elaine
Happy to hear you liked them cooked like this! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Sandra
We made the gin ginger prawns last night. They were fantastic! You are right, mop up every bit of the juice, yummy!
Flavour & Savour
It's an appy that sometimes turns into a meal in our house! So good.
Jackie
Mmmmm. Are spot prawns available now???
Flavour & Savour
Recreational fishing only for now. The commercial fishery usually begins around May 1 in this area. However, Cowichan Bay Seafood has frozen spot prawns.