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Mozambican · Portuguese

Mozambican peri-peri prawns

Non-vegetarian

Camarão com piri-piri

Big shell-on prawns marinated in a hot sauce of bird's eye chilli, garlic, lemon and paprika, then grilled fast and basted with garlic butter. Mozambique's famous seaside feast.

Mozambican peri-peri prawns is a Mozambican main course from Mozambique, ready in about 1 hour and made with prawns / shrimp and fresh red chilli. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
398

Ingredients

4 servings

For the piri-piri sauce

For basting

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the chillies, garlic (opens in a new tab), lemon juice (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab), olive oil (opens in a new tab) and salt to a smooth sauce.

    Wear gloves or wash hands well after handling hot chillies.

  2. Step 2

    Toss the prawns (opens in a new tab) with half the sauce and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) into the rest of the sauce for basting.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Keep shellfish chilled and do not marinate in acid for more than an hour.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Grill the prawns (opens in a new tab) over very hot coals or on a hot griddle for 2–3 minutes per side, basting with the butter (opens in a new tab) sauce, until pink and just opaque.

    Food safety: Prawns are cooked when the flesh is opaque and pink throughout.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Pile onto a platter, pour over the remaining butter (opens in a new tab) sauce and scatter with coriander. Serve with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges.

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Mozambique · Commonly attributedPiri-piri cooking developed in Portuguese-speaking Africa; Mozambican prawns grilled this way are famous across southern Africa.Also popular in South Africa, PortugalMore food from Mozambique
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Grills & kebabs
    Cooking method
    Marinated / cured, Grilled
    Taste
    spicy (chilli heat), garlicky, citrusy, smoky
    Diet
    Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    With the listed swaps: Paleo-style, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Prawns / shrimp · Fresh red chilli · Garlic · Lemon juice · Paprika · Butter
    Techniques
    Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Marinating · Curing

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
    • Contains: Crustaceansfrom prawns / shrimp

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    398 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 258 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 40%
    • Carbohydrate 4%
    • Fat 56%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy398 kcal154 kcal
    Protein41 g15.9 g
    Carbohydrate4.1 g1.6 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre——
    Fat25.1 g9.7 g
    Saturated fat8.5 g3.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol349 mg135 mg
    Sodium904 mg350 mg
    Salt equivalent2.3 g0.9 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    622 mg
    Calcium
    145 mg
    Iron
    1.6 mg
    Magnesium
    77 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    —
    Vitamin C
    —
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    —
    Folate (DFE)
    —

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves, lemon.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Leaving the shells on keeps the prawns juicy and gives the sauce something to cling to.

    Common mistakes

    • Overcooking: large prawns need only a few minutes.

    Serve with

    • Serve with rice, crusty Portuguese-style rolls or chips and a cold drink.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in step 2

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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