Creamy Curry Prawns with Coconut Milk Recipe
A vibrant and flavorful Curry Prawns recipe featuring a rich coconut milk and aromatic spice blend, perfect for a comforting yet exotic meal served with steamed rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients
Scale
Spices & Paste
- 1½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 5 ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- ½ scotch bonnet chilli (optional)
- 24–36 whole king prawns, shell-on or peeled
- 400ml coconut milk
- Cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
- Prepare the base: Heat the oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 15 minutes until soft and starting to caramelize, stirring regularly to prevent sticking or burning.
- Add aromatics: Add the crushed garlic, grated ginger, chopped tomatoes, and the optional scotch bonnet chilli. Increase the heat to medium and cook the mixture for another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the tomatoes to soften.
- Prepare prawns (if shell-on): While the base cooks, remove the heads from the prawns. Using scissors, cut along the back of the shell to the last segment near the tail to devein. Cut the top layer of flesh to expose the vein, loosen it, and pull it out gently with your fingers, retaining heads and shells for making stock if desired.
- Add spices and tamarind: Mix all ground spices and the tamarind paste with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir this spice mixture into the onion mixture in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until the spices are fragrant and the water evaporates largely.
- Simmer with coconut milk: Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens into a rich, thick gravy.
- Add prawns and finish cooking: Add the prepared prawns to the gravy and cook for 5 minutes until they turn pink and are cooked through. Avoid overcooking to keep them tender.
- Serve: Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed cooked rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- If using peeled prawns, add them directly to the gravy without preparation.
- The scotch bonnet chilli is optional – add for extra heat or omit for a milder curry.
- Make sure not to overcook the prawns to keep them juicy and tender.
- Reserved prawn shells and heads can be used to prepare a flavorful seafood stock for other recipes.
- Adjust coconut milk quantity slightly for desired sauce thickness.
Keywords: curry prawns, king prawn curry, coconut milk curry, Caribbean prawns, spicy prawn recipe, seafood curry
