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No. 54Modern AustralianSeafoodSaladAir Fryer

Chilli-Lime Prawn Skewers

Prawns go from perfect to rubbery in about a minute. Pull them when they curl into a C.

John DrummondFor Diana

Four skewers of curled, lightly charred chilli-lime prawns laid over a platter of diced mango, avocado, red onion, red chilli and herbs, with lime wedges
Prep25min
Cook12min
All up37min
Serves4
LevelEasy

Mise en place

What you need

Tick each one off as it goes in.

Prawns

Mango and avocado salad

To serve

Makes 4 serves

Another one for Diana — she asked for this one. The quickest of the air fryer recipes, and the most summery. Raw prawns tossed in garlic, chilli and lime zest, on short skewers, cooked in the Ninja Crispi Pro for five or six minutes, then squeezed with lime and served over a salad of mango, avocado, red onion and herbs.

Written for the Crispi Pro 6-in-1 before it has arrived, so the times are a starting point, not yet tested.

Prawns go from perfect to rubbery in about a minute. Pull them when they turn pink and curl into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked.

The prawns: buy raw (green) prawns, about 24 large ones, and peel and devein them yourself, leaving the tails on. Australian banana or tiger prawns are ideal. Frozen raw prawns are fine: thaw them overnight in the fridge and pat them very dry.

Skewers: short bamboo skewers, about 15 cm, so they lie flat in the 5.7L glass container. Soak them while the prawns marinate.

The lime juice goes on after cooking, not in the marinade: acid starts to “cook” prawns and turns them mushy.

The method

Four moves.

  1. Prawns, Marinate

    Pat the prawns very dry. Toss with the oil, garlic, lime zest, chilli, paprika and salt. Leave them 15 minutes, no longer than 30, while you soak the skewers and make the salad.

  2. Salad, Toss

    Toss the mango, avocado, onion, chilli and herbs gently with the lime juice, oil and salt. Onto a platter.

  3. Skewers, Air Fry

    Thread the prawns through the head end and the tail so they lie flat, about six to a skewer. Single layer on the crisper plate in the 5.7L glass container, two batches if needed; no preheat. Air Fry at 200°C for 5–6 minutes, turning once, until pink right through and curled into a C.

  4. Lime, Serve

    Lime over the hot prawns straight away. Skewers over the salad, more lime wedges on the side.

Next level

Brine the prawns for snap

Optional · +1 ingredient · +20 min

Brine the prawns for snap. Dissolve 1 tbsp salt and ½ tsp bicarb soda in 500 ml cold water, put the peeled prawns in for 15–20 minutes, then rinse and pat them very dry. Leave the salt out of the marinade.

It is how Chinese restaurants get that springy, almost crunchy bite: the bicarb raises the pH so the prawns hold their juice in the heat. Same cooking time, a noticeably better prawn.

Keep wandering

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No. 47Malaysian Curry Leaf Crispy ChickenMalaysian · 40 minNo. 48Air Fryer Avocado Chicken Mango SaladModern Australian · 40 minNo. 49Chicken CapreseItalian · 50 minNo. 50Air Fryer Fish TacosMexican · 35 min

Chilli-Lime Prawn Skewersserves 4 · 37 min