Juicy & healthy lemon garlic prawns (shrimps) with bell peppers that use just 5 ingredients and take less than 20 minutes to cook. Serve these quick and easy lemon garlic shrimps as a starter, bruschetta topping or as a main dish with pasta and transform your dinner into a hearty meal tonight.
Recipe overview
Looking for an easy, healthy prawn recipe? These low-calorie lemon garlic shrimps will be the answer. Garlic, lemon and prawns simply make a great dish together. This easy shrimp appetizer is made more nutritious and crunchy by adding vegetables like bell peppers and onions. It requires very few basic pantry ingredients and with a small trick (explained below) you can make it a quick and easy dinner.
Since shrimps are naturally bursting with flavor, you don’t need much seasoning. Less is more when it comes to cooking prawns. And like most seafood recipes, they cook very fast. Easy to cook and soooo delicious to eat! Have you ever felt that some of the easiest recipes are the best? I get it. Absolutely. Fried prawns recipe and shrimp pasta with tomato sauce are great examples.
If you love seafood, try these beginner-friendly fish cakes or baked salmon kebabs that are so easy to make.
The 5 basic ingredients
Garlic, chili powder, lemon juice, onions, and bell peppers. That’s it, guys. (For those of you peeking at the pictures, oil and salt don’t count!) Judge for yourselves when you read the recipe card below. And let your dream come true when you cook and eat those delicious spicy, zesty, juicy garlic prawns.
Step by step instructions
Toss together the shrimps, diced bell peppers and onions with chopped garlic, chili powder, lemon juice and salt. Saute the seasoned prawns, bell peppers and onions in oil for about 6 minutes, ensuring that you flip the shrimps and cook them on both sides. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro. It can’t get EASIER than this. Can it?
The only catch in cooking prawns here is the peeling part if you buy fresh prawns. (The tails can be removed if you prefer the shrimps that way.) If you can get hold of frozen or fresh peeled shrimps, you are a winner!
ingredients 
toss shrimps, peppers, onions, garlic, chili powder, salt 
add lemon juice 
saute in hot oil 
flip and toss 
garnish with cilantro
What do you eat garlic prawns with?
- Makes an excellent starter. Serve them on toothpicks with onions and peppers for that gourmet feel!
- lemon-flavored brown rice
- lemon garlic quinoa
- coconut flavored cauliflower rice
How to make lemon garlic shrimp and peppers pasta or rice
You can make a quick Italian dinner out of these lemon garlic shrimps. Great way to use up leftovers, too. (If you have anything left!)
- Cook 1 cup of rice/ pasta for 3-4 servings. (For pasta, toss cooked pasta with 2 teaspoons olive oil.) For low-carb options, use quinoa or cauliflower rice.
- Transfer the cooked garlic prawns to a bowl. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil with 1/4 cup of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring it to a boil.
- Add cooked rice/ pasta and garlic shrimps. Mix well.
- Add a handful of any herb or a combination of herbs: cilantro, thyme, oregano or parsley.
- Turn off the flame. Enjoy!
Recipe tips
- This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to cook. Easy peasy, but you also have to take care not to overcook the shrimps. Nobody likes overcooked rubbery shrimps. Also, the bell peppers and onions should turn out crunchy.
- The key is to use a wide pan, stir on medium-high heat and cook for no more than 6 to 7 minutes.
Common questions about lemon garlic prawns
Are prawns/ shrimps healthy?
Prawns/shrimps are a great source of protein, low in calories and saturated fat, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin E. Hence, they promote heart health, brain function, growth and development and reduce inflammation, risk of illnesses like cancer, arthritis and dementia.
Though shrimps are high in cholesterol, it doesn’t have a negative impact on heart health since they are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. (source)
Can I use frozen shrimps for this recipe?
Of course. Thaw frozen shrimps by quickly washing a few times with tap water or soaking in tap water for about 15 to 20 minutes, until they reach room temperature.
Using hot water to thaw will cook the shrimps on the outside, so when you cook them for the recipe, they get overcooked and turn rubbery, while the insides will still be undercooked.
Leaving frozen shrimps to thaw naturally (on the kitchen counter) will make the shrimps go limp and mushy.
What is the healthiest way to eat shrimps?
Using olive oil makes this one of the low-calorie shrimp recipes with less than 150 calories per serving. Since shrimps have a high cholesterol content, the nutrition levels can be balanced by avoiding saturated fats like butter.
How long can you marinate shrimps in lemon juice?
Shrimps don’t need much time to marinate. Citrus marinade actually “cooks” the prawns (as in Ceviche). So the ideal marinating time would be about 5 to 10 minutes. Anything more than that, the prawns tend to turn out mushy when cooked. That’s the reason for adding lemon juice after tossing the rest of the ingredients in this recipe.
More seafood recipes
Healthy lemon garlic prawns and peppers recipe (5 ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 300 grams shrimps peeled and deveined (note 1)
- bell peppers 1/2 cup each of green and red, diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- cilantro a handful, finely chopped for garnish
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Clean and devein the shrimps, leaving the tail intact. (If using frozen ones thaw them according to note1). Pat dry with paper towels.
- Toss the shrimps, diced onions and bell peppers with chopped garlic, chili powder and salt. Add lemon juice and mix well.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and add the seasoned prawns, onions and bell peppers. Saute on medium -high heat for 6 to 7 minutes, flipping and turning in between. Ensure that you flip all the prawns so they cook on both sides. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Using frozen shrimps: Thaw them by washing the shrimps a few times with tap water until they reach room temperature, or soaking in tap water (room temperature) for 20 minutes.
- How to cook the shrimps: Use a large pan to avoid overcrowding. Make sure you quickly flip all the shrimps to sear them on both sides.
- How long to cook the shrimps: Stick to the timings specified in the recipe. The shrimps should not be overcooked. Transfer to a serving plate as soon as you turn off the flame, to ensure that the prawns don’t get cooked in the residual heat.
- Serving suggestions: Serve these garlic shrimps as bite-sized appetizers or as topping on bruschetta or as a main dish with pasta/rice.
- Cook 1 cup of rice/ pasta for 3 servings. (For pasta, toss cooked and drained pasta with 2 teaspoons olive oil.)
- Transfer the cooked garlic prawns to a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vegetable or chicken stock to the saute pan. Bring it to a boil.
- Add cooked rice/ pasta and garlic shrimps. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Add a handful of any herb or a combination of herbs: cilantro, thyme, oregano or parsley.
- Turn off the flame and serve.
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Thank you and happy cooking!
– Sheeba.
This post was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with new photos and tips to give you a great experience.
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Nice recipe. Never tried prawns with garlic as the center piece ingredient. Will give it a bold try soon. Haha. Thank you for bringing interesting variations.
Thank you, Meenal! Let me know how it turned out for you!
These sound amazing, I love big prawns, especially when garlic is involved!
Thanks Chloe, these are one of my family’s favorite prawn recipes too.
Everything looks soooooo
Delicious.
Thank you!