Garlic Butter Prawns with Rice (32g Protein)
Prawns cook in about two minutes, which makes this one of the fastest real dinners I know. Seared prawns, a pan of garlic butter sharpened with soy and lemon, rice underneath, and you end up with 32g of protein per serving in 15 minutes.
The whole thing happens in one pan. The rice is the only thing you need to have sorted ahead, and leftover or same-day rice both work fine here since it is not fried.
Why this works
The order matters more than the ingredients. Prawns sear in plain oil first, over high heat, because butter burns at searing temperature. Then the heat comes down and the butter and garlic go in, so the garlic toasts gently instead of scorching. The prawns come out of the pan early and finish in the sauce, which is the difference between tender and rubbery. A prawn that is fully cooked at the sear stage is overcooked by the time it is sauced.
Ingredient notes
Frozen prawns are completely fine and usually better quality than the thawed ones at the counter, which are often the same prawns sitting out. Thaw them in cold water for 15 minutes and dry them well. Size matters less than you think, but anything labeled large or jumbo (21 to 25 per pound) gives you the best sear-to-cook-time ratio. Light soy sauce is the standard thin kind; regular Kikkoman works. Use unsalted butter so the soy can do the seasoning.
Garlic Butter Prawns with Rice
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the prawns very dry with paper towels and season with salt and white pepper. Wet prawns steam instead of sear, so this step is not optional.
- Heat the oil in your widest pan over high heat until it shimmers. Lay the prawns in a single layer and leave them alone for 1 minute. Flip, cook 30 seconds more, then pull them out just short of done. Work in two batches if they crowd the pan.
- Drop the heat to medium-low. Add the butter, then the garlic, and cook for about a minute until fragrant and barely golden. If the garlic browns it turns bitter, so keep it moving.
- Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, and chili flakes if using.
- Return the prawns and any juices to the pan and toss for 30 seconds, just until coated and cooked through. Off the heat, squeeze in the lemon.
- Serve over rice, scallions on top, and spoon every last bit of the garlic butter from the pan over the bowls.
Tips and storage
Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge, but reheat gently. A full-power microwave blast turns prawns into erasers, so use 50 percent power in short bursts, or just eat them cold over hot rice, which is honestly not bad. If you meal prep this, slightly undercook the prawns on day one. The garlic butter solidifies in the fridge and melts back into sauce when reheated, so do not panic when it looks cloudy.
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