Pan Fried Fresh Water Prawn

4.50 from 14 votes
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A simple yet incredibly tasty recipe with fresh water prawn cooked in a blend of soy sauce, cooking wine, a touch of sugar, and chopped scallions.

Perfectly cooked fresh water prawns garnished with chopped scallions.
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Giant Fresh Water Prawn

This pan-fried freshwater prawn recipe is probably one of the easiest but remarkably delicious recipes for prawn—huge, giant-sized fresh prawns pan fried with soy sauce, cooking wine, a bit of sugar, and chopped scallions.

In Chinese, this dish is called 干烧虾, a popular seafood delicacy, especially in coastal regions abundant with fresh shrimp. It’s a celebrated dish, and freshwater prawns are a prime choice due to their texture and the rich, creamy fat found in their heads.

I have a strong affinity for freshwater prawns; their taste is arguably second only to that of Santa Barbara live spot prawns, in my opinion.


What Is Freshwater Prawn

A big freshwater prawn with two claws.


Freshwater prawns, are closely related to the shrimp family, but a completely different specie. They are primarily found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, as opposed to saltwater or marine habitats. They are also farmed in freshwater environs. The best seafood doesn’t always have to come from the sea.

Their key characteristics include:

  • Appearance: They have a big head, and hence called big head prawn in Cantonese and Chinese (大头虾). They are prized for the rich and creamy fats in their head, and its blue-wish color shell with two long claws. At a glance, they resemble a mini lobster cum crawfish.
  • Habitat: Found in freshwater environments like rivers, lakes, and rice paddies.
  • Culinary Use: Their sweet, delicate flavor and firm flesh and texture are perfect for Chinese recipes and Thai recipes. In fact, the best Tom Yum is made with freshwater prawn.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients for fresh water prawn recipe.
  • Freshwater prawn – if you are in the United States, you can purchase them frozen (in a paper box) at Asian supermarkets. If you are in Asia, you may get live and giant fresh water prawns from live seafood stores.
  • Garlic – chop garlic coarsely for a chunkier texture.
  • Soy Sauce
  • Shaoxing wine – substitute with Chinese rice wine, cooking sake, or dry sherry. If you cannot consume alcohol, skip it altogether.
  • Sugar
  • Chopped scallions

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Cook Fresh Water Prawns

Two deveined fresh water prawns on a cutting board.

Step 1: Using a sharp knife, make a shallow incision along the back of the prawn. Remove the dark vein, then rinse with water and pat dry with paper towels.

Chopped garlic being sauteed in a pan.

Step 2: Add oil to a wok or pan. Once the oil is heated, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic and light brown in color.

Raw fresh water prawn in a pan with garlic.

Step 3: Add in the fresh water prawns, soy sauce, wine, sugar and do a few quick stirs. 

Giant freshwater prawn cooked in a pan.

Step 4: Use the wok turner to press down on each prawn, pan-frying both sides until they are fully cooked.

Pan fried fresh water prawn on a serving platter.

Step 5: Add the chopped scallions and stir to combine with the prawns. Serve hot.


Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute freshwater prawn with regular prawn?

Of course you can! Just use a bigger-sized prawn or tiger prawn if freshwater prawns are not available.

How do I know when prawns are cooked?

Fully cooked prawns will turn opaque, with the shells turn to orange or reddish-orange.

How many calories per serving?

This freshwater prawn recipe is only 118 calories per serving.

Pan fried fresh water prawn with a soy sauce glaze.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Pan Fried Prawns served on a plate.

For a complete and balanced meal, pair this prawn dish with the following recipes:

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4.50 from 14 votes

Pan Fried Fresh Water Prawn

A simple yet incredibly tasty recipe with fresh water prawn cooked in a blend of soy sauce, cooking wine, a touch of sugar, and chopped scallions.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients  

  • 6 fresh water prawn, jumbo prawn or big tiger prawn
  • 1 ½  tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • ½  teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallions

Instructions 

  • Using a sharp knife, make a shallow incision along the back of the prawn. Remove the dark vein, then rinse with water and pat dry with paper towels
  • Add oil to a wok or pan. Once the oil is heated, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic and lightly browned.
  • Add the fresh water prawns, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar. Stir well to combine.
  • Use a wok turner to press down on each prawn, pan-frying both sides until they are fully cooked.
  • Add the chopped scallions and stir to combine with the prawns. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

  • Freshwater prawn – if you are in the United States, you can purchase them frozen (in a paper box) at Asian supermarkets. If you are in Asia, you may get live and giant fresh water prawns from live seafood stores.
  • Shaoxing wine – substitute with Chinese rice wine, cooking sake, or dry sherry. If you cannot consume alcohol, skip it altogether.
  • The wok will get really dry and the prawns might appear burned but it’s fine as it will add that “charred” flavor to the prawns.

Nutrition

Serving: 4people, Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 106mg, Sodium: 727mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 166IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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6 Comments

  1. Carol says:

    SIX prawns serves 4 people?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Not everyone is going to have 2.

  2. Supriya Kutty says:

    Hi, Bee. I will surely make this dish at home using freshwater prawns. Actually, I like your idea of using freshwater prawns for this dish. I am sure my family will love this dish. I will also share this wonderful blog with my friends for their reference. I really appreciate the efforts you have put in to write this wonderful article. I also like the images that you have used in this article. Thank you.

  3. Jill says:

    Are these shell on prawns?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes.

      1. Dr. Sai Leela Modem says:

        It is interesting. But how about cleaning the prawns,removing the intestines, microbiological safety etc. Do we remove the shell while eating.