Sweet Lemon and Ginger Prawn Kabobs

I’ve been happily making every place my office; the car, my bed, my kitchen, a coffee shop here, a coffee shop there, hotel rooms, Tendue, my doctor’s waiting room and Fred Meyer. I guess it’s pretty normal for a food blogger to consider the grocery store her second office, but I’m thinking that having a “quick” conference call in the aisle where they keep the pasta and other Italian groceries is a little excessive.

Multitasking isn’t a safe act. It’s dangerous and it has caused me to ruin a few free-range chickens and burn a couple cakes. We learn, we adjust, we overcome, and we move on. So now, instead of trying to make one grocery shopping trip for all my posts, testing, shoots, events, and regular life; I’ve been making one trip per two commitments. I’ve also been sectioning my day into two halves; the first part of the day for this, the last for that. It’s been a system that’s been working well.

Since I frequent the store so often now, I’ve noticed quite the sale on prawns at my Fred Meyer: $5.99 a pound! Hi, hello, watch me add some to my shopping basket ASAP. What are prawns? Large shrimp, essentially. Prawns are biologically different from shrimp, but there isn’t a major culinary difference. However, I do prefer prawns since I think they have a meatier texture that works great in kabobs.

Therefore, my recipe for these Sweet Lemon and Ginger Prawn Kabobs was created. Because, above all, the barbeque is a necessary component to summer life and all things easy living. And, living really is made easier when prawns are $5.99 a pound.

Here’s is the skinny on the recipe: take equal parts coconut aminos (or soy sauce) and sesame oil and let the prawns hang out in that mixture for a while. Let’s say at least thirty minutes but an hour might just be the perfect number. So, while those flavors are soaking into the prawns, we’ll chop up some red bell pepper, a red onion, and a fresh pineapple. While we’re at it, we will boil up a lemon/ginger/garlic glaze and thicken it with a slurry. We’ll chop some cilantro to sprinkle on the finished product (because nothing complements ginger quite like cilantro). And maybe, we sprinkle on some sesame seeds if we can find them in the cupboard? Let’s start that barbeque on high because we like that charred taste, and we want nothing more than to cook our veggies to an acceptable density.

But also, we can’t forget to pour ourselves an iced tea to drink on the back porch while these guys are sizzling on the grill. Once cooked, let’s say five minutes on each side, remove the kabobs from the heat and brush with that thick and sweet lemon ginger sauce that brings these kabobs to new levels of greatness.

Dear friends: Do not try to multitask like me. Instead, focus your energy on the most important thing ahead of you—dinner with friends, watching the big game with your person, finding the killer deal on prawns, doing laundry, taking time for yourself—even if it’s just a few minutes on the porch with your iced tea while your kababs get hot, hot, hotter.

PLEASE let me know if you made this recipe! Tag me in a pic, send it direct, or comment below.

Fred Meyer Prawn Sale: 51-60 cooked or 21-25 raw prawns only $5.99 in OR, WA, ID.  ($6.99 in AK) Prices are good from June 13-June 19

Thank you, Fred Meyer for sponsoring this post. And, a heartfelt thank you to my readers for supporting the brands that support Olive and Artisan.

Sweet Lemon and Ginger Prawn Kabobs

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Sweet lemon and ginger sauce is generously drizzled and rubbed around barbecued prawns and veggie kababs. Perfect for a summer night spent outside.

• Author: Karlee Flores
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 20 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 pounds of prawns, raw

1/3 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup coconut aminos (or sub soy sauce)

2 tablespoons ginger, (about 1 tablespoon powdered)

4 cloves of garlic

2 large lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon pepper flakes

¾ cup water

1/3 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 tablespoons cold water

2 red, bell peppers

1 large red onion, chopped

1 cup pineapple, chopped

Chopped cilantro and sesame seeds for sprinkling

Wooden skewers soaked for at least thirty minutes

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Instructions

Peel and devein the prawns and place them in zip top bag. Pour the sesame oil and coconut aminos into the bag and close. Massage the prawns in the bag to make sure all the flavors are dispersed evenly. Refrigerate for up to four hours or as little as thirty minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt, paprika, pepper flakes, ¾ cup water, and sugar and bring to a slow boil. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch and cold water (slurry) together and add to the boiling mixture. Continue to cook sauce until thickened. This should only take a few minutes after you add the corn starch mixture. 

Chop onion, red pepper, and pineapple equivalent to the size of the prawns. Thread marinated prawns, chopped veggies, and pineapple on to a wooden or metal skewer using whatever pattern you like. If you are using wood skewers, soak them in water for at least thirty minutes before use.

Grill skewers over high heat for about five minutes on each side or longer depending on the size of your prawns. Make sure the prawns are pink in color when you remove them from the grill.

Brush the sweet, lemon-ginger glaze all over the prawn kabobs. Sprinkle kebobs with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Keywords: BBQ, prawn, shrimp