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A white tray containing golden brown butterfly king prawns and tomato dipping sauce on the side.

King Prawn Butterfly

Indian restaurant style king prawn butterfly made with succulent prawns inside and crispy golden coating outside. Make your own better than takeaway appetizer at home with simple pantry-friendly ingredients.
5 from 14 votes
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Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: British Indian, Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 292kcal
Author: Khin

Ingredients

  • 14 Large Prawn About 350g (12oz), Large king prawn, tiger prawns, or shrimp, ( peeled, deveined, tails-on )
  • 2 Egg Whisked
  • 100 g Plain flour All-purpose-flour
  • 150 g Golden bread crumbs Golden/white or panko bread crumbs ( see details in note )
  • Oil for frying Vegetable or neutral flavour oil

Seasonings

  • ½ tsp Curry powder Hot or mild Indian curry powder
  • ½ tsp Chilli powder Or paprika
  • ½ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Pepper
  • ½ tsp Salt

Dipping Sauce

  • 3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
  • 2 tsp Mint yoghurt sauce Or plain yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp Lime juice Or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Chopped coriander Finely chopped coriander or mint leaves
  • ⅛ tsp Salt Or salt to taste

Instructions

Prepare the prawns

  • Peel and devein the prawns and leave the tail on. Pat dry them with a paper towel.
  • To butterfly the prawns, use a sharp knife and cut along the back of the prawn but leave the tail tip. If there is any vein left inside, remove it and flatten the prawn by shallow scoring crisscross diagonally. Make sure not to cut right through.
  • Whisk two eggs and season them with salt, pepper, chilli powder, curry powder, and garlic powder. Add breadcrumbs and plain flour in a separate bowl or tray.
  • First, hold the butterflied prawn from the tail, dip it in the eggs and then dredge it in the plain flour. Next, dip it again in the egg and then dredge it in the bread crumbs. Gently pressed it with your fingers to coat it evenly.
  • Place the coated prawn on the tray and set it aside. Repeated the process until all the prawns are breaded.

Deep Frying

  • Heat the oil into medium-high heat about 330-340°F ( 160-170° C ) and fry the breaded prawns for 3-4 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
  • Remove from oil and place it over the paper towel. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately with a choice of dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

  • Add tomato ketchup, mint yoghurt sauce, salt, lime juice, chopped coriander in a small bowl and mix it well.

Notes

  • Baking Option: Deep frying and air frying create the best result. However, you can bake in the pre-heated 400°F ( 200°C ) pre-heated oven. Spray cooking oil over the breaded prawns and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until crispy by flipping halfway through.
  • Air Frying Option: Spray a bit of cooking oil over the coated prawns and fry it in 400°F ( 200°C ) pre-heated air-fryer for about 10-12 minutes or until crispy. Flip halfway through.
  • How to prep ahead? Once the prawns are breaded, place them over the tray and freeze them in the fridge until they are set. Then transfer to freezer-safe bags or containers and freeze them. Fry the breaded prawns directly from the freezer, do not need to defrost. 
Nutrition facts are calculated approximately and it can be varied by number of factors. 

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 4mg
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