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.

You can distinguish the Sri Lankan devilled prawn recipe from other spicy Asian prawn recipes because of the clean flavours and easy ingredients used.

The best part of cooking prawn devil is that you can customize this prawn recipe to suit your palette.

So go ahead and give this spicy prawn recipe a try.

Why you should make devilled prawns

First of all, it’s easy to make with minimum fuss and always an instant hit with the family.

• If you love spicy seafood this prawn(shrimp devil )recipe is a must make.

• Yes, the reference to”devilled” means the prawn stir-fry is spicy but you can ADJUST the level of spice added to this prawn dish and make it even a little sweeter for you and the kids.

• There’s no need for extra dipping sauce as the devilled prawns already has a sauce that coats the prawn with loads of flavour.

What to serve with devilled prawns

• You can easily serve the devilled prawns as a starter or party bite, you can 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 shell on.
• Rice dishes to pair with this prawn recipe.
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.
  • how to cook rice on the stove.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • vegetable fried rice(spicy).Indian fragrant ghee rice(nei choru).

• serve the seafood dish with some garlic fried rice, Mixed vegetable noodles-Sri Lankan style or stir-fried noodles

• Other vegetarian curries, and side dishes to serve with devilled prawns.
  • Sri Lankan fried eggplant/brinjal salad.
  • Easy eggplant stir fry
  • Eggplant sweet and sour curry(Sri Lankan brinjal pahi).
  • chickpea and potato curry(chana aloo curry). or Sri Lankan Potato curry(ala kiri hodi).
  • Sri Lankan spicy Dry Potato curry(ala theldala)
  • green beans-garlic stir-fried in browned butter.
  • spicy 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.
  (simple type Sri Lankan menu plan on the search bar.
• Sri Lankan lunch meal plan 1
• Sri Lankan meal plan-2
• Sri Lankan Lunch meal plan-3.

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Utensils and appliances needed

Chopping board and knife

A glass bowl to marinate the prawns.

A large wok or frying pan.

Workflow to make the prawn recipe

1. Devein and clean the prawns.
2. Marinate the prawns.
3. Stir-fry the other elements in the recipes.
4. Combine prawns into the wok and adjust the taste as per your need.

More Prawn recipes

Jaffna curry powder prawn curry.

Caramelized garlic prawn stir-fry.

How to make crunchy prawn head fries.

Sri Lankan coconut shrimp curry.

Sri Racha spicy shrimp stir-fry.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

To make the prawn recipe child friendly.

• Make this spicy seafood recipe for kids by either using a sweet tomato sauce or adding a few teaspoons of sugar when you add the tomato sauce and combine.
• You can also leave out the green chillies.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients to make the prawn recipe

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

Note 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 them for a longer time.

If you choose to make this recipe with deshelled prawns, avoid cooking for a longer period of time. 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.

How to make Sri Lankan devilled prawns(shrimp)

Please refer to the notes above on prawns before you continue.

Have all the ingredients you need to make the devilled prawns ready.

Clean and devein the prawns(700g).

Drain any excess water(pat dry if need be 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.

This is also my new recipe blog dedicated to only the best seafood recipes.

Place them in a bowl(use a glass bowl, it’s easier to get rid of any residue smell of prawns than in a plastic bowl).

Add lime(3 tbs), a pinch of salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

How to make the spicy devilled prawns

Place a large wok or frying pan over low medium heat and pour in the oil(4tbs).

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(2tbsps) and garlic(5 cloves minced or chopped, about 2 tbsp).

Continuously stir and cook over low medium fire for 2 minutes.

Increase heat to medium and add in the onion(2 large cut into wedges), capsicums(4 capsicums, substitute with bell peppers) and tomato wedges(2 medium).

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(3-5 minutes).

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(1/4 cup or use your favourite hot sauce), red chilli flakes(1-2 tbsp red chilli flakes, reduce as per your need), chilli powder(1 tsp), 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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