Ever since I have made prawns in the air fryer, there has been no turning back. Prepared in minutes, the super crispy and spicy prawns are a staple snack for every party in our house. Here is my take on the prawns in the air fryer recipe, so you can use it as a reference.
Prawns In Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Food processor
- Parchment paper or air fryer basket liner.
Ingredients
- 400 g large prawns
- 90 g breadcrumbs (preferably panko)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 65 g flour
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- lemon zest
For sun-dried tomato mayo dip
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes
- 200 g mayonnaise
- 80 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- garlic clove
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Start by preparing a dip. Take a food processor and add all the dip ingredients except mayonnaise. Once you process everything into a thick paste, add mayonnaise and mix everything to get a smooth thick blended mix.
- Set aside the dip and work on your prawns. First, clean the prawns and pat them dry.
- Now, take three bowls. In the first bowl, prepare the flour seasoning by mixing the flour with salt and pepper. Add beaten eggs in the second bowl and bread crumbs mixed with paprika in the third one.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes and spray the air fryer basket with some oil.
- Now, work on one prawn at a time. First, dip the prawn in the flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally, into the bread crumbs. Repeat the step with each prawn and make sure every piece is evenly breaded.
- Transfer the breaded prawns to the air fryer basket and cook them for 8 to 10 minutes in the air fryer at 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Flip them halfway through the cooking time to get an even crispy texture. Cook them until you see them covered in a brown color.
- Finally, once the time is up, plate them, top them off with lemon zest, and serve with the tomato dip.
Notes
- Always preheat the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes to get the perfect crispy texture.
- Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket, or you will be left with undercooked prawns. Cook them in a single layer with gaps between them to let the convection do its job.
- Do not underestimate spraying the prawns lightly with oil. It helps you with a perfect crispy texture.
- Flip them halfway to let all of the prawns be exposed to the hot air.
Nutritional Value of Air Fryer Prawns
Well, seafood generally has a high nutritional value, and these air fryer prawns are no different. One serving of these prawns has 146 calories, 1.9 carbs, 15.6g protein, 933.5 mg sodium, 150.3 mg potassium, 451.1 IU Vitamin A, and 63.8mg Calcium.
Try These Substitutes
Many people have queries about whether you can substitute the ingredients of air fryer prawn. The simple answer would be yes, and here are some ideas.
- You can substitute the prawns with fresh shrimp like rock shrimp, white shrimp, and jumbo shrimp. You can even try other types of seafood like calamari and scallops.
- Though I have used all-purpose flour in the recipe for coating; you can replace it with potato starch, cornstarch, or tapioca. They all are perfect to get a crispy texture.
- You can also add ingredients to the prawn seasoning. I like putting turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, or paprika. You can work with whatever is available at the time.
Recipe Variations
The air-fried prawns come in a variety of flavors. You might try some of them to get flavors specific to your taste.
- Spicy Thai-Style Prawns: You can prepare Thai-style air fryer prawns by mixing honey, Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, and lime juice. Coat the prawns with the seasonings (black pepper, turmeric, salt) and air fry them until golden brown. Serve it with the sauce.
- Honey Mustard Prawns: This prawn recipe includes mixing honey, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard to prepare a sweet-tangy prawn sauce. Coat the prawns with the mixture and season with turmeric, black pepper, and salt. Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes and serve with mustard sauce.
- Garlic Butter Prawns: For this recipe, melt some butter and mix it with garlic. Coat the prawns with the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and air fryer until they are golden brown. Serve with chopped parsley.
The best part of this air fryer prawn recipe is that they are low in calories and nothing is deep-fried. So, use it as a guide and get the perfect crispy prawns each time in the air fryer. Experiment with the seasoning and dip to get a personalized taste.
