Best Prawn Recipes to Cook Year-Round in 2025

Is there anything prawns can’t do? We like them tossed through pasta in a spicy tomato sauce or done wafu pasta-style with sake-soy butter; but we’re equally pleased by prawn recipes that see the crustacean kissed by the smoke and char of a barbecue; prawn ceviche with a green-chilli dressing; or a comforting prawn curry. This versatile crustacean is available year-round, so don’t leave all your prawn eating to summer.

Prawns are easy and quick to cook, making them primed for simple dinners as well as impressive dinner party snacks. Whether you’re a lover of prawn pasta recipes, barbecued prawns with a lovely marinade or sauce, or a fresh prawn salad, nothing pleases like a prawn.

In our collection of perfect prawn recipes, we have delicious pasta recipes, barbecued delights like Mat Lindsay’s prawns with brown butter and tamari and light and quick seafood meals such as a soba noodle salad with sake grilled prawns that takes just 15 minutes to make. We also have brilliant starters, from our chicken, prawn and chilli pot stickers recipe or super-easy charred prawns on skewers with lime that takes less than 10 minutes to cook. For easy midweek dinners, try Liberté’s stir fry garlic prawns with chilli and Thai basil or our linguine with tomato, prawns and rocket.

Don’t just eat prawns in summer. These varied and vibrant dishes prove that prawn recipes are perfect for all occasions and seasons.

Best prawn recipes to cook in 2025

Barbecued prawns with honey, sesame and lemon

Time to throw a shrimp on the barbie.

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Prawn yiouvetsi

A classic Greek dish of prawn, risoni, oregano and fennel. What’s not to love?

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Salt and pepper prawn and pork noodles

A flavour-packed noodle dish that requires very little time and effort.

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Thai Tide’s tom yum fried rice with prawns

“This zesty, bold version of one of Thailand’s most famous dishes is a playful rethink made with rice instead of soup,” says Thai Tide chef-owner Merica Charungvat.

Sweetcorn and prawn chowder with crusty baguette.

Prawn chowder with sweetcorn from Sean Moran

This warming bowl of prawn chowder is an elegant variation of the North American classic.

Prawn and tomato empanadas with picante sauce.

Tomato and prawn empanadas with picante sauce

Our tip is to make a double batch of this picante — a smoother, more refined version of salsa — to serve at will.

Chilli-rosemary prawns with butter

Ready in just 15 minutes.

Prawn and crab toast with a herb salad and sirarcha mayo with spoon of black sesame seeds.

Prawn and crab toast with herb salad

This crunchy, fragrant prawn and crab toast recipe makes for a tasty snack at cocktail hour.

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Three prawns on lemongrass skewers with strips of mango and coconut topped with chillies, mint, and shallots on a white plate.

Lemongrass prawns with gỏi xoài

Gỏi xoài is a traditional Vietnamese green mango salad with a zesty dressing. In this recipe, we used ripe sweet mangoes to balance the sharp green mango and tart salad dressing.

Paul Farag’s grilled prawns, corn, saffron pine nut milk

If you have a little bit of time on your hands and you’re raring to dress up your usual prawn salad routine, this is the recipe for you.

Coconut prawns recipe with saffron curry

Saffron and coconut prawns

Make this vibrant, aromatic saffron and coconut prawn curry recipe for dinner tonight.

Two colourful bowls filled with paccheri pasta, tomatoes, prawns and herbs

Summer paccheri with prawns, tomato and pickled chilli

Add some cooked crab or lobster meat to this weeknight favourite and transform it into a luxe dinner party entertainer.

Seafood platter recipe with barbecued prawns and seared scla

Prawns with basil verde and seared scallops seafood platter

A seafood platter of barbecued prawns and seared scallops that’s primed for summer entertaining.

fast prawn linguine is the best of all dinner ideas

Prawn linguine with semi-dried tomatoes and olives

A summery prawn pasta that’s a no-fuss midweek meal? Yes please.

Prawns and clams baked in tomato and chilli

There’s something so satisfying about cooking with clams.

Soba noodles with nori sesame butter and sake-grilled prawns

An easy, everyday Japanese-inspired soba noodle recipe that requires little time and effort.

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Tony Tan’s char kway teow

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Philipa Sibley’s spaghettini, prawns, charred corn, green chilli, black garlic

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Linguine with tomato, prawns and rocket

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Aerial view of a bowl of noodles with prawns, mint and tomatoes.

Fragrant prawns with Thai basil and udon noodles

Fresh, fast and flavourful: this is the easy way to make prawns a midweek meal.

Vesuvio with prawns, white wine and tomato

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Tedesca Osteria’s prawns with saffron, fino sherry and garlic sauce

When very fresh prawns mingle with garlicky saffron butter, only good things happen.

Prawn sandwich with kimchi mayo

Bring a little bit of humble sophistication to your next friendly gathering with these delicious prawn sandwiches with kimchi mayo.

Barbecued prawns with brown butter and tamari

Mat Lindsay recipe for barbecued prawns with brown butter and tamari from Ester restaurant in Sydney.

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Helly Raichura’s Bengali prawns and seablite (shorshe chingri)

If you have the forethought to soak your mustard seeds overnight, we can guarantee the results are well worth it for the vibrant colour and flavour they lend to the prawns.

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Mixed grilled seafood salad with lemon mignonette

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chicken, prawn, ginger and chilli potsticker dumpling recipe

Chicken, prawn and chilli pot stickers

If you’re entertaining a crowd, prepare the pot stickers ahead and store, covered with a damp clean tea towel in the refrigerator and cook when required.

Okonomiyaki hotcakes with school prawns

This variation of okonomiyaki combines the fluffy hotcakes you know and love with the traditional Japanese flavours.

Rockmelon, lime and poppy-seed prawn cocktails

We’re saying cheers to a classic with this tweak of the unbeatable prawn cocktail. Thinly mandolined rockmelon adds a sweet touch, which you can always offset with as little or as much Tabasco as you’d like.

Charred prawns on skewers with lime

Because barbecued things on sticks just taste better.

Prawn and sesame toasts

A snack that’s extremely hard to turn down.

Palisa Anderson’s yum makeua (grilled eggplant salad with prawns)

Fire up the barbecue for maximum flavour.

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Al Dente’s prawn ravioli

A very luxe pasta indeed.

Tony Tan’s typhoon shelter prawns

Love garlic? Love prawns? You’ll love this.

Mustard butter prawns with corn and wilted greens

A combination of flavours that just works.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Flavour and freshness with every bite.

Grilled prawns with coconut rice and peach sambal

Add a little luxury to your weeknight dinner.

Louis Tikaram’s Mooloolaba prawn ceviche with green chilli dressing

An ideal summer starter that’s all zing and spice.

Mike McEnearney’s grilled prawn, watermelon and tomato salad

Summer’s greatest hits, all in one bowl.

Prawn cocktail tower

And that’s a wrap – the perfect self-serve summer dish.

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Cutler & Co’s wood-grilled prawns with fried garlic and chilli oil

Things heat up with Andrew McConnell’s wood-grilled prawns with a smoky chilli oil.

Penne with prawns and fra diavolo sauce

Prawns, pasta and big whack of chilli. Sometimes it pays to play with fire.

Prawn and scallop har gow with garlic oil

Strictly traditional, these are not. Delicious? You bet.

Charred cabbage with chestnuts and prawns

Turn the humble vegetable into something special.

Prawns with saffron, chilli and quinoa

A light midweek dinner made easy.

Raes on Wategos’ king prawn sangas

With the added crisp and crunch of prawn crackers.

Prawn, cabbage and soba noodle salad

A quick and easy salad that sings with that sesame-miso dressing.

Four folded pastry triangles on a piece of brown paper, laid on a white round plate, on a black background.

Rumi’s prawn börek

“Filled pastries have a very long history in the Middle East,” says Joseph Abboud. “The original, sanbosag or sanbusaj, became samosa in India, sambousek in Lebanon and sambusa in Ethiopia, to name a few. Börek, which are a great snack, are another.”

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A black plate holding fettuccine, prawns and chunks of tomato, with a black fork and spoon to the side.

Wafu pasta: Fettuccine with prawns, tomato and sake-soy butter

An umami-packed combination that just works.

Prawns with black beans, chorizo and chipotle

Top black beans with chorizo and prawns, and serve with coriander and fresh lime.

Ma hor (galloping horses)

This classic Thai appetiser pulls out all the stops.

Spicy prawn and lemongrass sticks

The sambal packs a mighty punch in these spicy prawn sticks, and using lemongrass stalks in place of skewers adds even more flavour.

Crab, prawn and fennel stew with rouille

Think of this as a simpler version of bouillabaisse with all the flavour, but less work

Prawn, slaw and pico de gallo tacos

You can only say yes to tacos.

Prawn carpaccio with prawn oil

Spanking fresh prawns lend a sweet and clean taste to this summery dish.

Charred prawns, eggplant and chickpeas with roast tomato vinaigrette

A simple but elegant dish that works beautifully as either a main or a side.

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Lau’s Family Kitchen’s prawns and char siu with vermicelli in a claypot

A knockout dish from the family-run Cantonese restaurant in Melbourne.

Prawn and bean salad with preserved lemon dressing

Fresh, light and simple – this salad makes the perfect midweek meal.

Prawn and avocado with lime

With creamy avocado and the zing of lime juice, this Mexican-ish prawn cocktail is perfect for the summer. Just add corn chips.

David Thompson’s prawns baked with vermicelli

“Baked prawns with vermicelli are found mostly in Chinatown in Bangkok, but it deserves to be eaten everywhere,” says Long Chim and Nahm David Thompson.

Caribbean coconut broth with prawns and fried aromatics

You’ll recognise the Southeast Asian influences of Malaysia and Thailand in this delicious broth.

What is the best way to cook prawns?

There’s no definitive best way to cook prawns. Really, it comes down to personal preference. Some like crispy prawns that have been butterflied and cooked over a barbecue, while others prefer prawns fresh and zesty in a spicy Asian dish. However, some popular prawn dishes remain firm favourites among the Gourmet Traveller team. From garlic prawns sautéed with lots of butter and quick grilled prawn skewers to aromatic prawn curry recipes and steamed prawns, which lean on the healthier side of things.

What can I do with already cooked prawns?

Leftover cooked prawns can be super versatile — you just need to know how to prevent them from becoming rubbery. To do so, you’ll want to gently reheat them or serve them cold. For the latter, prawn cocktails, prawn salads and rice bowls work a treat (we recommend letting the prawns come to room temperature before serving). Meanwhile, if you want your prawns warmed, your go-to dishes will be stir-fries, pastas, fried rice, Thai-style soups and coconut-based curries where you add your cooked prawns in the last minute of cooking.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.