Name: Devilled prawns recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: sri lankan
Ingredients: 500g frozen prawns, tail on; 1/2 tsp cornflour; 60.00 ml tomato sauce; 20.00 ml soy sauce; 1/2 tsp white sugar; 20.00 ml vegetable oil; 1 brown onion, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 tsp ginger, grated; 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 green capsicum, sliced; 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes; 1 lime, juiced; fresh coriander leaves, to serve

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 01/20/2025

With a little heat from the chilli and ginger, a little zest from the lime juice, and a little sweetness from the sugar, tomato sauce, and cherry tomatoes, this enlivening devilled prawns recipe is brimming with flavour. Inspired by Sri Lankan devilled shrimp recipes, this take is a great match for rice, flatbread, or a simple side salad.

How to make devilled prawns: key tips

First, if you’re not using frozen prawns, ensure your prawns are peeled with heads and veins removed. You can leave the tails on – or remove them (or purchase them frozen with all of this already done for you!). This recipe takes only 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook – and is satisfyingly simple to make – just be sure you don’t rush over any of the steps and cook the prawns through. To make a substantial dinner of it, pop on some rice to serve alongside your prawns.

devilled-prawns

What’s in this devilled prawns recipe?

We use frozen prawns to create this flavourful feast. You can also use fresh green prawns if you prefer, but the frozen prawns available in most supermarkets are generally good quality and perfect for this sort of stir-fry dish. Alongside the prawns is a beautifully balanced combination of ingredients: think depth of savoury flavour from the soy sauce, brown onion, and garlic, heat from the ginger, chilli, and curry powder, sweetness from the tomato sauce, white sugar, and cherry tomatoes, plus freshness from the lime, capsicum, and fresh coriander. The result is a harmonious mingling of flavours that is effortlessly impressive.

If you love the flavour of curried powder in your cooking, try these devilled eggs or this Sri Lankan devilled chicken recipe next.

This recipe was written and photographed by food writer and recipe developer, Greer Worsley.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

500g frozen prawns, tail on
1/2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 brown onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, grated
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp curry powder
1 green capsicum, sliced
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 lime, juiced
fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Method

Step 1

Defrost prawns, then dry on paper towel.
Step 2

In a bowl, combine cornflour with 1/4 cup water. Whisk in tomato sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
Step 3

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion for 1-2 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic, ginger, chilli flake and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, for a further minute. Add prawns with 1/2 tsp salt, capsicum and tomatoes, and toss to coat in the aromatic ingredients. Cook for 1-2 minutes until prawns are starting to turn pink. Pour in sauce, turn up heat, and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes until prawns are cooked through.
Step 4

Squeeze over lime juice and serve with coriander leaves to garnish.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

Do prawns need defrosting before cooking?

In short? Yes. For the best results and texture, we recommend thawing the prawns in the fridge overnight before stir-frying them. It’s also a good idea to pat them dry on a paper towel once thawed. Once you’ve defrosted prawns, it’s best to eat them within a day or two.

What does devilled mean in cooking?

In cooking, the term ‘devilled’ usually refers to an ingredient that’s been ‘curried.’ Generally, a ‘devilled’ dish is one that involves cooking a protein (think eggs, prawns or meat) in spicy seasonings, such as curry powder.