30 Minute Prawn Rice

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
Like this recipe? Pin it to your Dinner pinboard!
Follow SavvyBites on Pinterest

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

• Tomato Spinach Prawn Pasta
• Quick & Easy Prawn Curry

Tools used

1. Cast iron pan
2. Silicone spoon

30 Minute Prawn Rice

This One-pot prawn and rice recipe is a one-pot wonder full of flavorful prawns and rice with a Spanish style tomato sauce that the entire family will enjoy! 

5 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Spanish-inspired

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Save This RecipeSaved!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Author: Deborah Rainford

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 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

Note 1- If you want golden seared prawns then you can saute the prawns in the pan at the start of the recipe, transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm until the end, then stir into rice and serve.

Note 2- You can use already peeled prawns for this recipe. They get added the exact same way.

Note 3- Prawns and shrimp are interchangeable in this recipe.

Note 4- Add extra chilli powder or chilli flakes to add extra spice.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 1072mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 3678IU | Vitamin C: 95mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Tag Me @savvybites or tag #savvybites!

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!