How to grill Prawns (real Prawns, not shrimp)

In news:[email protected],
MC typed:
> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

I absolutely would not par-boil them under any
circumstances. Devein them if you like, but I'd leave the
shells on for grilling. Just brush 'em with some oil and
throw 'em on the barbie.

Some people might brine or marinade them, but I don't think
its that necessary.

--

Hasta, Curt Nelson

MC wrote:

> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

How big are they? I do large tiger shrimp om the grill once
in a while. I make a marinade of olive oil, lime juice,
ketchup, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, chopped parsley,
Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and let them shrimp
marinate for about 2 hours. Then I grill them over direct
heat, watching for the colour change and for the tails to
curl. They turn pink and tighten up when they are cooked.
Cooking time depends on their size, but the pink and the
curl are good indicators of them being done. Marinating and
cooking in the shell results in better flavour and texture,
and it slows down the eating. Otherwise, you would gobble
them up in no time and want lots more.

"Prawn" and "shrimp" are market names, each used for a
variety of species and by no means uniform across the
country (or across fishmarkets in the same city, for that
matter). I don't think that "prawns, not shrimp" means
very much.

That said, I would throw them on a hot grill and cook 30-60
seconds on each side.
--
------------------------------------------------------------
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----
Louis Cohen Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8'
42.8"

"MC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

MC <[email protected]> wrote:
> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

Why par-boil prawns? Just skewer the prawns (so they don't
fall through the grill and to make it easier to handle
them). Grill for a couple of minutes. Flip the prawns over,
grill two minutes or three more. That's it.

x-no-archive: yes

Louis Cohen wrote:

>
>"Prawn" and "shrimp" are market names, each used for a
>variety of species and by no means uniform across the
>country (or across fishmarkets in the same city, for that
>matter). I don't think that "prawns, not shrimp" means
>very much.

I couldn't quite tell from the description, but the OP may
have been talking about freshwater prawns. Where I live,
they seem to use the word "prawns" for those. You have to
grill those.

I don't see the point of marinating seafood much at all
unless you are actually making ceviche or unless it is a low-
acid marinade such as misoyaki. The big freshwater prawns
have very delicate flesh and an acid marinade will make them
mushy. I spear them up, shells and all, and put them on the
grill, brushing with some kind of sauce or just with butter
and garlic. Naomi D.

"MC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

http://travel.vsnl.com/palmland/prawns.jpg I think this is
what the OP is talking about. Much bigger than the big
shrimp that are often called prawns here. Can't help on how
long to cook them though

[email protected] (MC) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

Naahhhh...don't par-boil them. I just marinade them for 30-
45 min. with good olive oil, dry sherry, a healthy sprinkle
of sweet smoked spanish paprika, and enough chopped garlic
to make your eyes water. Skewer them, grill 'em, squeez some
fresh lemon or lime juice on, and people will be grabbings
them outta your hand before you get them to the table.

Cheers

On 24 May 2004 13:36:13 -0700, MC wrote:

> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I don't
> know if that is necessary.

If you can and it doesn't bother you get them with their
heads on. You can get them that way at some Asian Groceries.
Do not remove the shell or the head. Sprinkle them with
course salt and cook them on a very hot grill no more than a
minute or two on each side.

Then when you eat them, break the head off and suck the
juice out before eating the rest. It may sound strange, but
it is very good.

--
JakeInHartsel

Food, The Art Form that You Can Eat

The term "prawn" is widely used to mean several things. Most commonly,
it means shrimp that are U16 or smaller. Technically, as I understand
it, a prawn is not a shrimp at all, but more like a lobster or
crayfish. See here for a decent explanation:
http://food.epicurious.com/run/fooddictionary/browse?entry_id=9750

"Angie" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<M9Wdne7tg6_Tzy7dRVn-
[email protected]>...
> "MC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
> > shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
> > first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
> > would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I
> > don't know if that is necessary.
>
> http://travel.vsnl.com/palmland/prawns.jpg I think this is
> what the OP is talking about. Much bigger than the big
> shrimp that are often called prawns here. Can't help on
> how long to cook them though

On Wed, 26 May 2004 20:22:46 -0600, Glenn Jacobs
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 24 May 2004 13:36:13 -0700, MC wrote:
>
>> How do you grill Prawns. These are whole Prawns in the
>> shell with claws (not big shrimp). Do you par-boil them
>> first or just throw them on the grill? With lobster, I
>> would boil it first. Given that these are smaller, I
>> don't know if that is necessary.
>
>If you can and it doesn't bother you get them with their
>heads on. You can get them that way at some Asian
>Groceries. Do not remove the shell or the head. Sprinkle
>them with course salt and cook them on a very hot grill no
>more than a minute or two on each side.
>
>Then when you eat them, break the head off and suck the
>juice out before eating the rest. It may sound strange, but
>it is very good.

A good idea with any crustacean that comes with head on.

I.e. crevettes rouge, crayfish, prawns, Maine shrimp

Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

Ask not with whom the buck stops . . .