5 Shrimp and Prawn Recipes (Creole, Paella, Thai Curry and Pasta)

Shrimp, or prawns as I call them in the UK, cook in minutes and go wrong in seconds, so most of these recipes put them in at the very end. These are the five shrimp recipes I make at home, from a Louisiana creole to a Japanese pancake.

If you are choosing between fresh and frozen, my paella with prawns and chorizo explains why frozen raw prawns are often the better buy.

1. Cajun Shrimp Creole

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My Cajun shrimp creole: raw shrimp in a smoky tomato sauce with onion, celery, peppers and aubergine, cooked with the heat off for ten minutes so they stay tender. I serve it over rice, and it is good with pasta too. It serves four in about an hour. Get the recipe.

2. Paella with Prawns and Chorizo

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Prawns and chorizo in one wide pan, with bomba rice toasted in the chorizo fat before the stock goes in. The prawns go on top for the last ten to fifteen minutes, and the rice is left alone at the end so the base catches into socarrat, the crisp layer everyone loves. It serves four and takes 50 minutes. Get the recipe.

3. Thai Style Fish and Prawn Curry

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A Thai friend’s fish and prawn curry. The white fish is blended into the coconut milk to make the base, which thickens the sauce without flour, and the prawns go in whole near the end with potatoes, spinach and rice noodles. It serves four in an hour. Get the recipe.

4. Osaka Style Okonomiyaki with Prawns and Bacon

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A thick, cabbage-packed Japanese pancake with prawns folded through the batter and streaky bacon crisping on top. It is finished with okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise and katsuobushi that moves in the heat. The recipe makes four pancakes in about 75 minutes. Get the recipe.

5. Seafood Pasta (Creamy Tomato Linguine)

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Linguine in a smooth, creamy tomato sauce made with the mussel cooking water, with mussels, king prawns, scallops and squid. Half the prawns and scallops are seared golden for the top, and the seafood goes in at the end so it stays tender. It serves four in an hour. Get the recipe.

FAQ

Should I use fresh or frozen shrimp?

Frozen raw shrimp are genuinely fine and often better, since they are frozen at sea. Thaw them and pat them dry, or they water down the dish as they cook. There is more in my paella with prawns and chorizo.

How do I stop shrimp going rubbery?

Put them in at the end. In the creole the heat is off and they sit in the hot sauce for ten minutes, in the Thai curry they need about five minutes, and in the seafood pasta two or three. They are done when they turn pink and opaque.

Are shrimp and prawns the same?

For cooking, yes: shrimp is the US word and prawn the UK one. I use raw ones in these recipes, not the pink ready-cooked kind, which turn tight and rubbery in the pan.

Which shrimp recipe will you make first?

There is a quick one for a weeknight and a Sunday one in a big pan. Smacznego!