How to Butterfly Prawns

John Mak 10th June 2019

Do not cook or peel the prawn first!
Uncurl. Uncurl the prawn, belly-side facing upwards.
Cut a line from underneath the head of the prawn to the tip of the tail using a sharp knife, making sure the knife cuts through the meat but not the outer shell of the prawn.
Open up the prawn fully. If you like, you can remove the black intestinal tract from the prawn by scraping it out with the tip of a sharp knife. This is called ‘deveining’.
Grill on the butterflied side.

Equipment

For the preparation of meat and fish it’s useful to have a good set of knives. You can pick up some real special sets for a much more competitive price on the internet than you can on the high street.
Knife set

How to Butterfly Prawns

Knowing how to butterfly prawns will allow you to grill or BBQ them. A handy technique for larger species, butterflying is the process of cutting them in half lengthways and flattening them out, spreading the surface area to allow for even grilling. This ‘how to’ breaks down this simple process for you.

Photo Credit: Designlazy.com

Steps

1- Do not cook or peel the prawn first!

2- Uncurl. Uncurl the prawn, belly-side facing upwards.

3- Cut a line from underneath the head of the prawn to the tip of the tail using a sharp knife, making sure the knife cuts through the meat but not the outer shell of the prawn.

4- Open up the prawn fully. If you like, you can remove the black intestinal tract from the prawn by scraping it out with the tip of a sharp knife. This is called ‘deveining’.

5- Grill on the butterflied side.

Tip

Try a very light honey (and perhaps ginger and chilli) glaze, finely brushed over the prawns just before cooking

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