Peri – Peri Prawns – Moçambique

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African Flame-Kissed Prawns

Bring the vibrant flavours of Portuguese-African fusion cuisine to your kitchen with these fiery peri peri prawns. This bold and aromatic dish combines plump, succulent jumbo prawns with a punchy homemade peri peri sauce that balances the heat of dried chilies and chilli flakes with the brightness of lemon and the depth of garlic and paprika. While traditionally a spicy dish, you can easily adjust the heat level by varying the number of chillies used. The heads are left on the prawns not just for presentation, but because they add an incredible richness to the final dish as they cook in the sauce. Perfect for a special dinner party or when you’re craving something with a serious kick, these peri peri prawns are best served with crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the flavourful sauce.

 

Peri- Peri Prawns
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4
  • Serving size: 250g
  • Calories: 738
  • Fat: 59 g
  • Saturated fat: 9 g
  • Unsaturated fat: 37 g
  • Trans fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 3 g
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Sodium: 995 mg
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 53 g
  • Cholesterol: 77 mg
Recipe type: Seafood with chillies
Cuisine: Moçambican
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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The African devil or peri- peri Chilli is the foundation of this wonderful seafood dish from Mozambique in East Africa. With its origins in Portuguese cuisine. Peri Peri prawns (along with its cousin peri peri chicken) are a firm favourite in many Portuguese speaking countries around the world. It is also very popular in Southern Africa.
Ingredients
  • Jumbo prawns – one kilogram ( deveined, heads on)
  • Vegetable oil – one cup ( see note)
  • Lemon juice – two tablespoons
  • Paprika – 2 tablespoons
  • Dried chillies - 12 to 15
  • Chilli flakes – 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic – 2 cloves
  • Salt – teaspoon
Instructions
  1. Bring the oil to medium heat.
  2. Add the garlic. Fry for a minute.
  3. Add the chillies and paprika.
  4. Turn down the heat to very low. Cook for 10 minutes (allowing the oils to release from the chillies)
  5. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and salt. Stir well
  6. Allow the infused oil to cool down completely
  7. Add the prawns and allow to marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator ( the longer, the better)
  8. Heat a griddle pan
  9. Fry the prawns until cooked
  10. Transfer them to serving ramekins or small plates. Sprinkle with chilli flakes
  11. Serve
Notes
Note For a quicker recipe, make our Peri-Peri oil beforehand, and then it becomes merely a matter of marinating the prawns before cooking

This recipe yields 4 portions as a starter or two as a main

Keywords: Peri - Peri prawns