This easy prawn rice only takes 30 minutes to make and is a gorgeous Spanish style dinner that uses one pot. Plump juicy prawns, ripe tomatoes and sweet peppers all come together to make this simple dish perfect for a weeknight, but fancy enough for a date night.
Frozen prawns can be a true lifesaver to have in the freezer for a busy night. They're amazing in pasta like this Spinach Prawn Pasta or with an Asian twist like this Prawn Curry. They only take about 30 minutes to defrost or you can speed that up by running the bag under cold water. I always buy prawn with the tail on, but you can buy the peeled prawns that have had the tail removed. They will make absolutely no difference to how amazing this recipe is.
30 Minute Prawn Rice
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Why you're going to love this prawn and rice recipe
- It only takes 30 minutes to make.
- Uses just one pot.
- Prawn and rice recipes are healthy and easy to make.
- The rice is cooked in a tomato sauce that infuses so much flavour.
- You can add in some chilli pepper or chilli flakes to make this spicy prawns and rice!
Ingredients needed
- Frozen or fresh prawns- the difference between prawns and shrimp is usually the most notable when it comes to size. Prawns tend to be larger than shrimp, although not always. In most cases the two are interchangeable and certainly, for this recipe, it will make no difference. The true difference between the two comes down to their anatomy as crustaceans. You can read more here if that's your thing.
- Basmati rice- long-grain white or even brown rice works for this recipe too. I prefer the flavour and aroma of basmati, having almost a nutty taste. You may need to adjust your cooking times, as brown rice typically takes longer to cook.
- Onion and garlic- this helps to form the flavour base of the rice dish. If you haven't picked up on it yet, this recipe is very much like a short cut paella!
- Tomatoes & red pepper- giving us our much-needed vegetables and adding that Mediterranean flavour that marries so perfectly with seafood, especially shellfish.
- Vegetable stock- made with a stock cube to add extra flavour. But you can also use water if you prefer.
- Peas- frozen of fresh. This recipe is very forgiving and is a great way to add extra veggies to your meals.
- Basil & lemon slices- the perfect way to finish this recipe. Fresh basil and lemon and some garlic bread are all you need to serve with this one-pot rice!
Step by step directions
Step 1 & 2
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. (I've used a cast-iron casserole pan) but any high sided skillet will work. You want to use something with a large surface area so that making the tomato sauce is quick and easy.
- Saute the onions and garlic until they are soft and fragrant. This will only take about 5-6 minutes. Add in the chopped fresh tomatoes and the chopped red pepper. The tomatoes will break down in the hot pan and create a sauce and the peppers will soften. If your tomatoes seem a little bit dry, add in 2-3 tablespoons of water to get everything going.
Step 3 & 4
- Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it in the tomato sauce. Pour in the vegetable stock and add in the prawn and peas. Bring up to a simmer and cover with a lid. Continue to simmer on low heat for about 12-15 minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender and cooked.
- Once the rice is cooked the prawns will definitely be cooked. They only take a few minutes and they essentially steam in the rice, meaning that they will be so tender and juicy. Top everything with fresh basil and some lemon slices. The beauty of this rice dish is that you can just pop it in the middle of the table with a spoon and let everyone help themselves.
Defrosting & peeling prawns
The best way to defrost them is to simply place them in the fridge overnight. But let's face it, many (me) are not that organised and sometimes things like that get missed in everyday life. To speed up the process, you can place the bag of frozen prawns under cold running water for about 10 minutes. Most shellfish defrosts very quickly and prawns are no exception, making them perfect for when you forget to plan anything for dinner.
Watch this quick video for the quickest and easiest way to peel prawns.
Storage
This prawn rice is perfect for leftovers for about a day or 2 at the most. Normally I'm not a fan of reheating fish, but prawns are the one exception. They don't suffer any loss of quality overnight in the fridge or with being reheated. To reheat, just a minute or two in the microwave is all you need.
More prawn recipes
Tools used
- Cast iron pan
- Silicone spoon
30 Minute Prawn Rice
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) olive oil
- 3 cloves (3 cloves) garlic
- 1 (1) yellow/ brown onion
- 1 (1) red pepper, chopped
- 8 (8) medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 200 g (1 ⅓ cups) frozen peas
- 275 g (1 cups) frozen prawns, peeled and defrosted
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) paprika
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) chilli powder
- 245 g (1 ¼ cups) rice
- 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock made with a stock cube
Instructions
- Start by making your stock with boiling water and set it aside while you make the tomato sauce and peel the prawns.
- Heat the oil in a high sided skillet or pan over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until they are soft and fragrant. This will only take about 5-6 minutes. Add in the chopped fresh tomatoes, and the chopped red pepper. The tomatoes will break down in the hot pan and create a sauce and the peppers will soften. If your tomatoes seem a little bit dry, add in 2-3 tablespoons of water to get everything going.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it in the tomato sauce. Pour in the vegetable stock, paprika and chilli powder. Add in the prawn and peas. Bring up to a simmer and cover with a lid. Continue to simmer on low heat for about 12-15 minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender and cooked.
- Once the rice is cooked the prawns will definitely be cooked. They only take a few minutes and they essentially steam in the rice, meaning that they will be so tender and juicy.
- Top everything with fresh basil and some lemon slices. The beauty of this rice dish is that you can just pop it in the middle of the table with a spoon and let everyone help themselves.
Notes
Nutrition
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND COOKING ALONG WITH ME! IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE A QUESTION, I’D LOVE IT IF YOU LEFT A COMMENT AND A RATING. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALONG ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO SEE WHAT WE’RE EATING, PINNING AND A LITTLE BEHIND THE SCENES TOO!
Tania Hendricks
I made this for supper tonight (fishy Wednesday), very quick and easy. This is so perfect for a quick midweek meal.
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. It's very appreciated! 🙂
RF
Love this shortcut paella. All the classic flavors of the traditional version but on the table in only 30 minutes!
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. It's so appreciated! 🙂
Richard Reynolds
This recipe is absolutely brilliant. Served this with some crusty bread and olive oil and it was the perfect dinner.
Tony Heath
Prawn stock, made with the shells is even better than vegetable.
Sarah
VERY tasty and easy to make recipe!
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review! 🙂
Brian
Super simple one pot recipe. Loved it.
Taniele
Definitely going to make this for Valentine’s Day!! Thank you for this!! Is it ok to use Jasmine rice instead of basmati?
Deborah Rainford
Hi Taniele! Absolutely you can use jamsmine rice instead. Just use a little bit less water/stock when cooking it. Jasmine rice is softer than basmati so requires less water when cooking to achieve a fluffy rather than sticky/ gummy texture. Let me know how it goes. And happy Valentine's Day! 🙂
Lucy
So good! Simple but really tasty. I’m making this for the second time as as soon as we’d finished it the first time my husband asked when can we have it again! 🙂
Sylivia
Really easy to pit together, tasty as well
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much, Sylvia. So happy you loved it! 🙂
Dua
The 15 year old made it to perfection, even the 3 children who apparently don't like prawns loved it!!
Scott
Loved this recipe! Added some leftover chorizo and it was amazing!
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much Scott.
Janey
Quick, easy and delicious recipe. Thank you!
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much Janey!
Joane
Great recipe quick and simple, I added celery and mushrooms and roasted the vegetables also put in a little bit of roasted paprika,the recipe is very adaptable.
Thank you it will be amongst my favourites
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved this one, Joane! And I love the additions you make. perfect for making this recipe go even further! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review. It's so helpful! 🙂
GM
This recipe is absolutely amazing. My husband who doesn't go near anything that comes out of water ate it successfully!! Thank you!!
There's a thing on the recipe that I think no one noticed maybe. When you choose x2 or x4, the quantity of stock changes, but it is still mentioned "by using 1 cube of stock". So for double, we should use 2 and so on, right?
Thank you again!!
Deborah Rainford
Amazing! So happy this recipe was a hit! Duly noted for the increase in portions to up the number of stock cubes. I'll make a note of that. And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. It's so appreciated! 🙂
Thuli
Easy and quick added paprika, very tasty and easy to make 🙏🏽
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved it! 🙂