Mozambican Peri-Peri Prawns

Submitted by Zurie

"POSTED FOR ZWT 4: Getting the REAL peri-peri oil recipe is a pain in the backside, and you never really find it. This is the nearest to the real thing, I think, but I don't take responsibility!! You won't have peri-peri peppers, so any hot red peppers, fresh or dried, will do. Ready-made Peri-peri oil can be bought where I am. The longer you can steep this oil, the better! The Moz prawns (shrimps) are large and straight from the ocean, and are only slit through the back shell and the vein removed. Then they're butterflied, brushed well with the oil, and fried or grilled just until they curl up and turn pink. There are other similar recipes. Mozambique prawns are really the only prawns to use! I HAD to guess the weight of the prawns -- use as many as you think you have peri-peri for."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 3

ingredients

• 1360.77-1814.36 g shrimp, large, shells and head on (Mozambican prawns)
• 354.88 ml oil (your choice)
• 29.58 ml lemon juice
• 29.58 ml garlic, minced and crushed
• 4.92 ml salt
• 4-12 dried hot peppers (African peri-peri peppers are called for)
• 4.92 ml paprika

directions

1. Wash the prawns/shrimps and pat dry. Cut open the backs and remove the dark vein. Kitchen scissors work best. Do not remove the shells. Then cut down gently and slightly butterfly the prawns.
2. The oil: start the day before, which is best. (Even the week before!)
3. You may need to remove seeds from the dried peppers, and then chop them up. Regulate the heat by using more or less!
4. Heat the oil gently, do not boil. Use groundnut or sunflower oil, not olive.
5. Add all the other ingredients except the prawns. Don't boil. Take off heat, cool, and save in a clean bottle.
6. Steep as long as you have time. The oil should colour to a pleasant reddish colour.
7. To cook, either put the prepared prawns in a large bowl, add the oil, stir well, and let marinade for 30 minutes up to 3 hours, in the fridge.
8. Bake or grill in a hot oven -- 350 deg F/180 deg C, or use your oven grill. Do NOT overcook: they turn pink when done.
9. Scoop up with a slotted spoon so the oil drips off, and you can also briefly drain them on scrunched-up kitchen paper.
10. Serve in a heap on a hot platter -- with plenty of wet cloths for hands and dipping bowls for fingers! Usually served with rice and some kind of fresh bread. This is not a dish for dainty eating. Use your hands.
11. Immensely popular in Maputo, where most of us will find out way to the famous old Costa do Sol restaurant on the sea, a few kilometres up north from Maputo, and order peri-peri prawns -- !

Reviews

[Delyse Duminy S.A.]

I've just made the Peri-Peri Oil to be used on the Prawns tomorrow night. It tastes amazing. Doubled up the recipe for 10 people. Used the Dried Chillies & 5 fresh Serano Chillies. Broke up the Dried Chillies & only used half the pips. Used entire Serano Chiliies. The taste of this Oil is just perfect. Thank you.

 

[Um Safia]

Made & reviewed for ZWT 4 - Kumquat's Kookin' Kaboodles! I chose this recipe specifically as I was given some peri peri peppers as a gifts & was looking for a suitably delicious recipe to use them in! This certainly fit the bill - these prawns are simply amazing! It was just DH & I eating this but we soon finished it off lol. Thanks Zurie for an amazing recipe :)

 

[game4all]

This recipe rocks!! I am achilli grower, and I have Peri Peri on tap...but I chose to use some oil taken from our preserves ...Veggie oil that has had Malawi Bird's Eye chilli's steeping for a month. NO habanero, as prawns deserves Africa's best. And what a pleasure.... If you are a Chillihead... this the way to prepare prawns. Well done!

 

[John D.]

The first decent peri-peri recipe I have encountered. Advice re the p-p oil is very good. Excellent.<br/>Serve with loads of fluffy rice and serve the leftover oil to drizzle on the rice.

 

[realbirdlady]

This one really didn't work out for me. I used dried thai peppers, which are comparable in heat to peri peri. But after five days, I didn't have any pepper taste in the oil. I tried again with chipotle, but only had a day to steep, so just got some faint flavor. I went ahead and cooked in a hot over (450F), for five minutes. The recipe might be easier to follow if the steps were in order (make the oil first, don't butterfly the shrimp until time to put them in to marinate), and the note about oil types was in the ingredient list.