Devilled prawns, a popular Sri Lankan prawn recipe for all you spicy seafood lovers.
You can distinguish the Sri Lankan devilled prawn recipe from other spicy Asian prawn recipes because of the clean flavours and easy ingredients used.

With chunky onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and a spicy sauce coating the prawn devil, you can’t help but get your hands messy and enjoy devilled prawns.
The best part of cooking prawn devil is that you can customise this prawn recipe to suit your palate.
So go ahead and give this spicy prawn recipe a try.

Recipe summary at a glance.

• Serving size – for 4 individuals.
• Prep time is 20 minutes. extra 15 minutes to marinate.
• Cooking time: 20 minutes.
• Cooking method– stove-top cooking.
• Cooking difficulty– easy
• Access to ingredients is easy.
• Flavour profile – spicy.

Ingredients to make the devilled prawn.

• Prawns: cleaned and deveined (you have the option to cook with the shell on or off; refer to the notes on tips and questions).
• lime juice.
• Oil: Use coconut oil, ghee, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.
• Curry leaves: Substitute with a bay leaf.
• Pandan leaf(opt out if this ingredient is not available to you).
• Ginger: chopped or minced ginger.
• Garlic: chopped or minced.
• large onions cut into wedges.
• Banana peppers or capsicums. Substitute with bell peppers.
• Tomatoes cut into thick wedges(quartered).
• Green chillies split in the middle.
• Tomato sauce(use your favourite chilli sauce, reduce or increase the amount depending on how much sauce you want).
• Red chilli flakes(reduce as per your need, as this is quite a lot of red chilli flakes and can be quite spicy).
• Red chilli powder.

What to serve with devilled prawns.

You can easily serve the devilled prawns as a starter or party bite.
Remove the shells or use deshelled prawns, but if your family and friends don’t mind using their fingers, I would really suggest leaving the shells on.
Here are a few ideas.

• Rice dishes to pair with this prawn recipe.
  • How to cook rice on the stove.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • Ghee rice.
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.

• Serve the seafood dish with some
  • stir-fried noodles
  • Mixed vegetable noodles- Sri Lankan style
• Other vegetarian curries to pair with devilled prawns.
  • Sri Lankan fried eggplant/brinjal salad.
  • Easy eggplant stir fry
  • Sri Lankan Potato Curry (ala kiri hodi).
  • Sri Lankan Dhal curry.
  • green beans stir fry(bonchi thel dala).

• If you want to use it in a Sri Lankan meal, then incorporate or simply substitute the meat dishes of any of the Sri Lankan menu plans given here.
  • Sri Lankan lunch meal plan 1
  • Sri Lankan meal plan-2
  • Sri Lankan Lunch meal plan-3.

Tips and questions on devilled prawns.

• Tips.
  • Notes on the prawns.
    • I have made this devilled prawn recipe with the shell and without it.
    • Making the recipe with the shell allows you to cook and sear it for a longer time.
    • If you choose to make this recipe with deshelled prawns, avoid cooking for a longer period. Overcooked prawns take on a rubbery texture.
    • Having tried both methods, I prefer to cook with the shell on, though peeling it off while eating can be time-consuming.
  • Workflow to make devilled prawns.
    1. Devein and clean the prawns.
    2. Marinate the prawns.
    3. Stir-fry the other elements in the recipes.
    4. Combine the prawns into the wok and adjust the taste as per your need.

More Prawn recipes.

Jaffna curry powder prawn curry.
Caramelised garlic prawn stir-fry.
How to make crunchy prawn head fries.
Sri Lankan coconut shrimp curry.
Sri Racha spicy shrimp stir-fry.

Step-by-step photo tutorial

What you will need in the kitchen.

• Chopping board and knife.
• A glass bowl to marinate the prawns.
• Small bowl or large plate to hold the ingredients.
• A large wok or frying pan and a wooden spoon.
• Serving platter and spoon

How to cook Sri Lankan devilled prawns(shrimp).

Have all the ingredients you need to make the devilled prawns ready.
Clean and devein the prawns.
Drain any excess water and pat dry with kitchen paper towels.
If you want to learn how to clean and devein prawns.
You can learn it on this post on how to clean shrimp with step-by-step images and instructions.

Place them in a bowl(use a glass bowl, it’s easier to get rid of any residual smell of prawns than in a plastic bowl).
Add lime juice, a pinch of salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Place a large wok or frying pan over low to medium heat and pour in the oil.
Leave it to warm for a few seconds.
Add the curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf), and pandan(opt out if this ingredient is not available to you) and let it sizzle.
Followed by chopped ginger and minced or chopped garlic.

Continuously stir and cook over low-medium fire for 2 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium and add in the onion wedges, capsicums(substitute with bell peppers) and tomato wedges.
Toss and cook them for 2 minutes( add a tablespoon of oil if you find the onions or capsicums sticking to the bottom of the pan).
Try not to overcook or cook until the onions, capsicums turn too soft.

Add the marinated prawns to the wok.

Cook until they turn pink.
At this point, you can decide if you want to slightly sear the prawns, onions, and capsicums over high heat to give them a more barbecue flavour.
You can do this by tossing the ingredients over high heat for 2 minutes.

If not, immediately follow the next step below.
Add tomato sauce(use your favourite hot sauce), red chilli flakes(reduce as per your need), red chilli powder, and season with salt.
Combine all the ingredients with the prawns and other elements and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat.

2-3 minutes before you remove the prawns from the fire, taste and check if all the flavours are as you want.
To add sweetness to the devil shrimp, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar, and continue to cook until combined.
Serve warm with any of the side dish recommendations given above.

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Sri Lankan spicy devilled prawns(shrimp).

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Devilled prawns, a popular Sri Lankan prawn recipe for all you spicy seafood lovers.

With chunky onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and a spicy sauce coating the prawn devil, you can’t help but get your hands messy and enjoy this prawn dish.

Print

Ingredients

• The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
• 700g prawns cleaned and deveined
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf)
• 2-inch piece Pandan leaf(opt-out if this ingredient is not available to you)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped or minced ginger(2″ ginger piece)
• 5 cloves of garlic chopped or minced(about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 large onions(cut into wedges, 4-5 thick pieces from each onion)
• 250g banana peppers(capsicum, cut into 1-2 inch long pieces, substitute with bell peppers)
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes cut into thick wedges(quartered)
• 2 green chillies split in the middle
• 1/4 cup of tomato sauce(use your favourite chilli sauce, reduce or increase the amount depending on how much sauce you want)
• 1-2 tablespoons of red chilli flakes(reduce as per your need as this is quite a lot of red chilli flakes and can be quite spicy)
• 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder

Instructions

1. Please refer to the notes above on prawns before you continue.
2. Have all the ingredients you need to make the devilled prawns ready.
3. Clean and devein the prawns(700g).
4. Drain any excess water(pat dry if need be with kitchen paper towels).
5. If you want to learn how to clean and devein prawns.
6. You can learn it on this post on how to clean shrimp with step-by-step images and instructions.
7. This is also my new recipe blog dedicated to only the best seafood recipes.
8. Place them in a bowl(use a glass bowl, it’s easier to get rid of any residual smell of prawns than in a plastic bowl).
9. Add lime juice, a pinch of salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
   How to make the spicy devilled prawns.
10. Place a large wok or frying pan over low to medium heat and pour in the oil.
11. Leave it to warm for a few seconds.
12. Add the curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf), and pandan(opt out if this ingredient is not available to you) and let it sizzle.
13. Followed by chopped or minced ginger and minced garlic.
14. Continuously stir and cook over low to medium fire for 2 minutes.
15. Increase the heat to medium and add in the onion, capsicums (substitute with bell peppers) and tomato wedges.
16. Toss and cook them for 2 minutes( add a tablespoon of oil if you find the onions or capsicums sticking to the bottom of the pan).
17. Try not to overcook or cook until the onions, capsicums turn too soft.
18. Add the marinated prawns to the wok. Cook until they turn pink.
19. At this point, you can decide if you want to slightly sear the prawns, onions, and capsicums over high heat to give them a more barbecue flavour.
20. You can do this by tossing the ingredients over high heat for 2 minutes.
21. If not, immediately follow the next step below.
22. Add tomato sauce(1/4 cup or use your favourite hot sauce), red chilli flakes (reduce as per your need), chilli powder, and season with salt.
23. Combine all the ingredients with the prawns and other elements and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat.
24. 2-3 minutes before you remove the prawns from the fire, taste and check if all the flavours are as you want.
25. To add sweetness to the devil shrimp, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar, and continue to cook until combined.
26. Serve warm with any of the side dish recommendations given above.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 292mgSodium: 1381mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 34g

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

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