By Jehan Yusoof | Updated September 27, 2026 | ★ 5.0 (3 reviews) | 4 comments

Sri Lankan pepper prawns (shrimp) in 30 minutes. Cooked in a thick gravy with ingredients like ginger, garlic, curry powder and coconut milk, coating the prawns and giving this dish its wonderful flavours.
You can quickly make this dry pepper prawn curry using pre-cleaned or frozen prawns.
It’s a dish to try out on curry nights when you have a few friends who are feeling adventurous with their food.

★★★★★
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Sri Lankan pepper prawns in a thick black pepper gravy in a bowl

Ingredients for pepper prawns

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

Prawns: fresh or frozen, cleaned and deveined, with or without shells.
Vinegar and salt: to quickly marinate the prawns.
Black pepper: the main ingredient.
Curry powder, turmeric powder and sugar to make the spice paste.
Oil, onions, garlic and ginger paste, curry leaves: used to make the aromatic layer.
Coconut milk: just enough to make a thick gravy that coats the prawns.

Pepper prawns coated in dark black pepper gravy

What you will need in the kitchen

Chopping board and knife
Kitchen shears with seafood scissors, for cleaning
Large bowl to marinate the prawns.
Large frying pan or skillet to make the black pepper prawn curry.

How to make Sri Lankan pepper prawn curry (step-by-step)

PHOTO TUTORIAL

Marinate the Prawns

Place the washed and cleaned prawns in a large bowl.
Marinate the prawns with vinegar and salt for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves sautéing in oil in a frying pan

Make the pepper prawns

Place a pan over medium heat, heat it for a minute, pour in the oil, followed by the curry leaves and sliced onions.
Cook until the onions turn translucent; this will take two to three minutes.
Reduce heat and mix in the garlic and ginger paste, turmeric powder, curry powder, sugar, and black pepper powder to make a thick paste.
Cook for 2 minutes, making sure that the paste doesn’t burn.

Black pepper, turmeric and curry powder stirred into onions for the spice paste

Pour in the coconut milk and stir in the curry paste until you have a thick gravy.
Check the taste of the gravy and season if necessary; cook the gravy until it reduces by half and turns dark in colour.

Coconut milk added to the black pepper spice paste for the gravy

Once the gravy has thickened and reduced, add the prawns and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.

Cleaned prawns added to the reduced black pepper gravy.

Serve warm over rice or enjoy as it is.

Cooked Sri Lankan pepper prawns in a skillet

FAQ: Sri Lankan pepper prawns (shrimp)

How to choose the right-sized prawns(shrimp)
- There are three sizes to choose from: small, medium and jumbo
- For serving large crowds, I would recommend choosing medium or jumbo-sized prawns.
How many Prawns do I need per person?
- Unless you are allergic to seafood, everyone loves Prawns with or without shells.
- Be kind to your guests or family and serve more. The minimum per person for jumbo prawns would be 8. If they are medium in size, 10.
How many Prawns in a Kilo?
- On average,
- 30-35 Prawns per kilo if they are large. 40-50 prawns per kilo if they are medium in size. These figures might vary slightly.
- I do the cleaning in two stages, to keep it simple.
- Before you devein the prawns, you will need three large bowls or pans. Place one bowl with all the prawns in your sink under running water.
- Once this is done, drain the prawns, wash them once and place them back in the pan for the next stage of cleaning
How do I clean prawns?
1. The method of inserting a toothpick into gaps between the shell of the prawn and pulling out the icky stuff works, and this is how you do it.
2. Remove the head of the Prawn and clean the shallow cavity.
3. To clean the vein that runs along the spine, gently bend the prawn. Once you bend it, find the gap between the shell where you can get to the fleshy part.
4. Use a toothpick, but a small cocktail fork works better; insert it into the gap and pull out the vein.
5. It might take you a few minutes to get the rhythm of it, but you will.
Should I keep the head, legs and shell on?
- It is a personal preference. I believe the best of the flavours are in the parts that you might be inclined to throw. That’s why they’re used in broths and bisques. I leave the skin on so the prawns don’t overcook; remove the legs if you’d rather. This is my personal preference; I like to use the head to soak the gravy and slurp on it.
How long does it take to cook the pepper Prawns?
- Prawns take less than 30 minutes to cook, and you’ll know they are done when they turn Pink in colour. This is why I’ve made the gravy first, reduced it by half and then added the Prawns.

Sri Lankan pepper prawns in a dark black pepper grav

What to serve with pepper prawns

How to Store and Reheat Pepper Prawns

Storing in the refrigerator
- Use glass containers or old plastic containers to store the black pepper prawn curry, as it will stain the containers; refrigerate and consume within 2 days.
Freezing
- Avoid freezing.
Heating
- Heat the dish in the microwave with a teaspoon of water; use a microwave cover. You can also heat the prawn curry on the stovetop with a few teaspoons of water.
Stop food waste by
- Making seafood fried rice with leftover rice.

More prawn (shrimp) recipes

Watch more recipes on my YouTube channel

Sri Lankan Pepper Prawns

Name: Sri Lankan Pepper Prawns
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons; 700g of deveined, cleaned and washed Prawns; In a bowl mix two tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Salt to marinade the Prawns; 3 tablespoons of oil; 1 sprig of curry leaves (about 5 to 8 leaves); 2 medium-sized onions sliced fine; 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (3 pods); 1 tablespoon of minced ginger (1 inch piece); 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder; 2 tablespoons of curry powder; 2 tablespoons of sugar; 2 tablespoons of fresh ground Black pepper; 1/2 a cup of Coconut milk; Salt to taste

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Prawns simmered in a rich, dark gravy of crushed black pepper, curry powder, ginger, garlic and coconut milk. A Sri Lankan dish for curry nights with friends.

5.0 Stars (2 Reviews)

Ingredients

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons
700g of deveined, cleaned and washed Prawns
In a bowl mix two tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Salt to marinade the Prawns
3 tablespoons of oil
1 sprig of curry leaves (about 5 to 8 leaves)
2 medium-sized onions sliced fine
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (3 pods)
1 tablespoon of minced ginger (1 inch piece)
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons of curry powder
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh ground Black pepper
1/2 a cup of Coconut milk
Salt to taste

Instructions

Marinating the Prawns

Place the washed and cleaned prawns(700g) in a large bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix.
Marinate the prawns(shrimp) for at least 15-20 minutes.

Cooking the prawns

Place a pan over medium heat, heat it for a minute and pour in the oil (3 tablespoons), followed by the curry leaves(a sprig) and sliced onions (2 medium).
Cook until the onions turn translucent; this will take two to three minutes.
While continuously stirring, reduce heat, add the minced garlic (3 pods, minced) and minced ginger (1 tablespoon, 1-inch piece), turmeric powder (1/2 teaspoon), curry powder (2 tablespoons), sugar (2 tablespoons), and black pepper(2 tablespoons) to make a thick paste.
Cook for 2 minutes, making sure that the paste doesn’t burn.
Pour in the coconut milk (1/2 a cup) and stir in the curry paste until you have a thick gravy.
Check the taste of the gravy and season if necessary; cook the gravy until it reduces by half and turns dark in colour.
Once the gravy has thickened and reduced, add the prawns and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Serve warm over rice or enjoy as it is.

I'd love to know how it turned out.

Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and a comment; I read every one — it helps other visitors trust the recipe and helps them find me too.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 474Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 364mgSodium: 1643mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 43g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough for you to follow.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.

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Tuesday 26th of January 2021

Made this tonight! It was so good. Thank you! Only tweak was I Didn’t have curry powder so added red chili powder and Dhaniya mix. Came out really good!

jehan

Wednesday 27th of January 2021

Hello K, Thank you for your patience and apologies for the late reply. Glad you loved it and you are most welcome. Most of my readers go through comments as well so your suggestions to substitute curry powder will definitely come in handy to someone out there. Stay safe and best regards, J

Brian Lageose

Monday 20th of February 2017

This looks deliciously yummy!

Hi Brian, Thank you. fyi, I've somehow blocked myself from my wordpress.com and unable to read any of your post. need to find a way back in. miss reading your work.