Drunken Prawns
Drunken Prawns
I have never acquired a taste for whiskey – it is just not my drink of choice. The last time it ever passed my lips, was as part of a nauseating, alcoholic swamp-water consumed during a crazy teenage dare! Well, come to think of it, that may be why I don’t even like the smell of whiskey now. However, I have recently discovered that it can play a delicious role in cooking and baking. A few months ago, I made a divine coffee cake, generously spiked with bourbon whiskey. It was a huge hit, and I began to imagine that whiskey may find a place in my pantry. Then I came across today’s recipe for drunken prawns. Here the whiskey imparts a mellow, caramel-like richness, that complements the spiciness of the sauce. One bite of this dish and I knew I had found a novel ingredient to add to my culinary repertoire, and I am on the hunt for more intriguing ways to use it.
This recipe comes from one of my all-time favourite Canadian cookbook series: “Whitewater Cooks with Passion” by Shelley Adams, and I am excited to be bringing a big pot of my boozy prawns over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday tomorrow! Please come join our virtual foodie blog party! We always welcome new friends and visitors. And, thanks to our talented co-hosts for this week: Hilda, at Along the Grapevine and Mila of Milk and Bun. Be sure to check out their sites!
Drunken Prawns
Ingredients:
Sauce:
4-6 cups cooked basmati or jasmine rice
½ medium onion, diced finely
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons galangal or ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup Jack Daniel’s bourbon
1 cup teriyaki sauce
½ cup sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal olek)
¼ cup oyster sauce
¼ cup ketchup
10 lime leaves, fresh if possible
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3 inch pieces and bruised
½ cup Thai basil, julienned
Prawns and Veggies
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound prawns, raw and peeled with tails on
¼ red pepper, julienned
¼ orange pepper, julienned
¼ yellow pepper, julienned
4 green onions sliced into 1- inch lengths
Method:
Sauté onion, garlic and galangal in oil until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add Jack Daniel’s and stir for about 2 minutes to deglaze the pan.
Add teriyaki sauce, sweet chili sauce, sambal olek, oyster sauce, ketchup , lime leaves and lemongrass.
Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lime leaves and lemongrass.
Add basil.
Heat a wok or large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté the prawns until they just begin to turn pink.
Add peppers, green onions and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the drunken sauce and simmer until the prawns are cooked through, about 3 more minutes.
Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.
Bourbon makes the sauce sing, and the prawns dance! Party on!
Foodie On Board 
39 Responses to “Drunken Prawns”
These look really awesome Juliana! You had me remembering a similar experience in high school which cured me of ever wanting to drink again. Must be Canadian girls and whisky!!! But I don’t mind cooking with it. Here is a great recipe incorporating whisky soaked raisins in a chocolate cake. I will make it again and blog about it someday.http://www.marthastewart.com/316485/double-diablo-cake
Oh, I checked out the cake, Johanne! Now that looks like a great use for whiskey! Too funny about Canadian girls and whiskey! Glad to hear that I am in good company! 😀
Prawns and whisky sound like a great combination to me. I’m glad you’ve discovered what a friend Jack can be to the cook and shared your findings with us at FF. Have a lovely weekend.
Thanks Hilda! Yup, I think that Jack and I have made some peace! What a delicious thing that is! 😀
Love those prawns!!delicious😄
So glad that you like them, Suzanne! 😀
Prawns and Jack – great idea. A little heat from the chili sauce and chili paste, along with the citrus from lime leaves and lemon grass is genius!
Gina
Hey Gina! You nailed it! The combo of flavours is a “must try” awesome! 😀
Not a whiskey drinker myself… BUT you’ve convinced me (I mean, LOOK at those prawns!) it has it’s place in cooking. Wow…looks thoroughly delicious!
Let me know if you try it out! I’d be curious to know if other Non-Whiskey types would like this dish!
Oh my Juliana! It seems like we have the same thinking process whenever we’ve been posting eh? Seafood for you, and one for me :). I’m loving the sound of this, I do enjoy a scotch and ginger every so often, so I can only imagine what these drunken prawns must taste like. Gorgeous ingredients, beautiful presentation.
Thanks so much, Loretta! Yes, I have been noticing that you and I are on the same wave-length! For a few weeks we have been totally in sync! 😀
I’m not a fan of whiskey either, but I love the way you described it as a “caramel-richness” in cooking. Your dish looks and sounds heavenly -yum!
Thanks Lily!
Delicious Julianna. I’ve got a bottle of JD in our pantry left by my son ready for his next visit, I’m sure he won’t mind me using some. Pinned for later 🙂
Even better! You don’t have to run out and buy those missing ingredients! 😀
I’m not really a whiskey kind of girl, but these prawns are tempting me 🙂 They look delicious, Juliana!
Hey Natalie! It seems that there are many of us who don’t drink the stuff! Glad you think they look good, anyway! 😀
Chef Julianna, these prawns sound absolutely delicious, though I have to say that I don’t consume alcohol. But I know that these will be a hit at this week’s Fiesta Friday. 😀 I wish you a wonderful week ahead. x
Hey Jhuls! So happy that you like the look of my drunken prawns! I hope you have a great weekend too! 😀
Oh my god! These prawns look so delish and simple to make! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Thanks so much, Andrea! You’re right, they are super easy to make!
Hey, you used the best whiskey possible so your shrimp have to be delicious. I like to cook with alcohol but not drink it except for wine and certain liqueurs. Shrimp are always a favorite and I will add this to my “to make” shrimp recipes.
Thanks so much, Judi! I too have a long list of “to make” shrimp recipes! 😀
I do like to cook with alcohol too, it adds such a nice note. Shrimps look so good, that I just wish to get that bowl! 😀
I’ll hand it to you right through the screen, Mila! So happy you think they look good!
Nomnom Ijust tasted it! 😀 Super tasty indeed!
Hi !
This looks great and without a doubt very tasty. Your site is awesome too !
Keep on cooking 🙂
Oli
Thanks so much, Oli! Really glad you are enjoying my site!
Haha, funny how teenage experiences can totally put you off certain food or booze, my husband drank too much sambuca at one of those teen parties and now can’t even smell it! But I love peat whisky, I love all whisky… and the idea of infusing the flavour into these prawns sounds divine! Must try this!
Oh, I have sambuca stories too! Very funny! Well, If you love whiskey, you should give this dish a try! It really is one that I will make again! 😀
Thanks! Ah dear, sambuca has such a distinctive flavour too (difficult to forget!).
These look divine Julianna! Oh so many lovely flavors you have in here not to mention the whiskey! I also never could get myself to have even a sip of whiskey but this recipe looks very tempting 🙂
I had a similar experience with whiskey when I was a teenager and haven’t been able to touch it since pretty much!
Your prawns makes me think maybe I should re think this! They look super delicious 🙂 Happy FF! 🙂
[…] Enjoy! Sharing with Angie FF#105 and co-hosts Lily and Julianna. […]
You had me at Jack Daniels. Yum! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yum! My mum is a prawn fan, and she would love this!
Gorgeous recipe, Julianna! Love the prawns. YUMMM.
[…] the Jack Daniel’s that has been languishing in my pantry since my Drunken Prawn post, has found its way into another astonishing dish! When I saw the recipe in Donna Hay […]