Tandoori shrimp (prawns). Dreaming of lip -smacking appetizers for your next gathering? This classic tandoori spiced grilled prawns are certainly easy to make and utterly flavorful. If you love prawns, this delicious spiced appetizer idea is sure to be your new favorite. Serve it as an appetizer with a vibrant dip of mint chutney or go the light lunch route with a bowl of refreshing cucumber salad and splash of freshly squeezed lemon.
Fact: The delicious world of tandoori based recipes is never ending. It truly embraces the classic unique flavors of Indian cuisine. And when it comes to party food, it is one of my most favorite flavors to take my favorites to the next level with maximum flavor.
Say hello to a classic party favorite - tandoori shrimp. Shrimp or prawns marinated with a unique blend of aromatic Indian spices are grilled to perfection. Well, with the cooking method, it’s up to you - grill, pan fry or bake. I prefer grilling them to create maximum flavor.
Tandoori Shrimp (Prawns) Ingredients
Tandoori paste - Homemade or store bought. It’s basically a combination of key spices in Indian cuisine. Apart from the spices, you will also need a little yogurt that’s going to help with tenderizing the meat. With shrimp (prawns), approximately half an hour marination is perfect.
Shrimp (prawns) - To make tandoori prawns, I highly recommend big prawns that are perfect for grilling. I used tiger prawns threaded onto skewers in this recipe. Prawns tend to curl up when cooked, so I prefer to skewer them. Again, keep the tails intact if you like.
Sides - I like to serve these with vibrant mint chutney and refreshing cucumber salad. Mint chutney certainly makes an epic combo with tandoori. If you want to upgrade this appetizer into a light lunch, add a bowl of kachumber or cucumber salad made with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, coriander (cilantro) leaves, a light splash of fresh lemon juice and seasoning.
Tandoori Shrimp Recipe
The tandoori paste obviously belongs to the “make ahead” category. So you can make it a day before and store in the refrigerator.
Coming to the recipe, start with prepping fresh prawns. That means, peel, devein and rinse under cold running water. I like to keep the tails intact in this recipe.
Marinated the prepped prawns in tandoori paste. Cover and store in the refrigerator for about half an hour. This will allow prawns to absorb all the beautiful lip-smacking flavors from the marinade.
Just before cooking, thread them on to skewers. The way you cook them certainly makes a huge difference in the final taste of this recipe. In my opinion, grilling is the perfect way to cook these prawns. However, baking or pan frying will be equally delicious.
The secret to perfectly grilled prawns? Add a splash of oil while cooking. The whole process will take about 5 minutes.
Dip in mint chutney and enjoy the deliciousness of the most succulent prawns ever.
More Shrimp (Prawn) Recipes:
- Asian Chili Garlic Shrimp (Prawn)
- Shrimp Crostini with Avocado
- Kerala Prawns Fry
- Prawn Biryani | Shrimp Biryani
- Indian Prawn Curry
- Kerala Prawn Roast | Chemmen Roast
- Kerala Prawn Coconut Curry
- Prawn Mango Curry | Chemmeen Manga Curry
Tandoori Shrimp | Tandoori Prawns | Video
Ingredients
Tandoori paste:
Prawns (shrimp):
- 1 kg shrimp prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
- 25 skewers soaked in cold water for 20 minutes
- Lemon wedges to garnish
- Mint chutney to serve
- Kachumber or cucumber salad to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Make tandoori paste following the recipe instructions. You can make this a day ahead and store in the refrigerator.
- Place shrimp (prawns) in a large bowl. Add tandoori paste. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- When ready to cook, preheat grill. Thread prawns (shrimp) on to skewers. Grill on high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Drizzle with a little oil while cooking.
- Alternatively, you can pan fry or bake the prawns.
- Serve with mint chutney and kachumber if you like.
Notes
- The number of skewers you will need depends on the size of prawns
Nutrition
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