Garlic butter shrimp with zucchini noodles

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles is a quick, glossy dinner built for busy evenings: sweet prawns, garlicky butter and a tangle of tender courgette ribbons that soak up every drop of sauce. It feels generous enough for a Friday night with friends, yet the method is simple enough for a first attempt at cooking seafood at home.

In Australia, prawns are the usual supermarket name for shrimp, and Coles or Woolworths will commonly stock them peeled and deveined, raw and frozen, or still in their shells. Zucchini is also widely called courgette here. Use whichever name you find on the packet, and remember that Australian recipes favour metric weights, so a packet marked 500 g is the easy reference for this dish.

The key is to cook each component briefly and bring them together at the end. That keeps the prawns springy rather than rubbery, while the zucchini noodles remain fresh and lightly cooked. A lemon-bright garlic butter sauce ties everything together without hiding the flavour of the seafood.

Make the garlic butter sauce

Begin with 500 g of raw green prawns, peeled and deveined, though leaving the tails on makes them look more dramatic. For the sauce, use 40 g butter, two garlic cloves finely grated or minced, one tablespoon of lemon juice, a small pinch of chilli flakes, and two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley. Thirty grams of finely grated parmesan is optional, but useful for adding a salty, nutty note.

Melt the butter gently in a large frying pan with the garlic and a small pinch of chilli flakes. Let the garlic become fragrant without taking on a dark brown colour, which can make the whole sauce bitter. Stir in the lemon juice, then season cautiously because the prawns, butter and parmesan may already bring plenty of salt to the bowl.

If you are using salted butter, leave out extra salt until the prawns are in the pan. Parmesan adds body, but it is not essential; a spoonful more lemon juice or a scattering of parsley can provide the same fresh lift. Keep the sauce over low heat while you prepare everything else so the butter does not scorch or split.

Prepare the prawns and courgette ribbons

Pat the prawns thoroughly with paper towel and pull away any loose membrane from the curve of the flesh. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear, so a properly dry surface develops colour quickly and releases less liquid into the pan. Season them with a little salt and black pepper just before they go into the hot pan.

Trim the ends from three medium courgettes, or about 600 g, and cut them into manageable lengths for your spiraliser. Feed each piece through the blade to create long, spaghetti-like strands. A vegetable peeler works too: cut broad, thin ribbons first, then slice those ribbons into narrower strips for a more noodle-like finish.

Courgette can release a surprising amount of water, particularly if it has been sitting in the fridge. Give the strands a gentle squeeze in a clean tea towel, or blot them carefully, before cooking. A spiraliser is the quickest option, but the peeler method needs no special equipment and gives useful control over the width of each piece.

Cook everything in the right order

Heat a large non-stick frying pan or cast-iron skillet until it is properly hot. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, followed by the prawns in a single layer. Leave them undisturbed for about a minute, then turn and cook for another minute, or until the flesh is opaque throughout with no grey, translucent patches. If the pan is crowded, cook the prawns in batches rather than steaming them.

Transfer the cooked prawns to a clean plate. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the butter and garlic, and swirl them around for 30 to 45 seconds. Pour in the lemon juice and a tablespoon or two of water, which helps emulsify the butter into a smooth garlic butter sauce. Taste it before adding more salt.

Add the dry courgette noodles to the pan and toss for two to three minutes. They should feel tender but still offer a little resistance. Return the prawns for the final minute, tossing to coat them in the glossy sauce, then fold through most of the parsley and parmesan. Pull the pan off the heat promptly, because the residual heat continues cooking both the prawns and the zucchini.

Solve the usual dinner-time problems

If the courgette noodles turn soft before the prawns are ready, move them to a warm, dry pan rather than leaving them over the heat. If they release liquid during cooking, let that moisture evaporate for another minute before the sauce goes in. The aim is a light coating of butter and lemon, not a watery pool at the bottom of the pan.

For a stronger kick, increase the chilli flakes or add a teaspoon of capers rinsed in warm water. Garlic, chilli and lemon all work well with prawn, but small additions are more balanced than turning the whole dish into a chilli sauce. Fresh parsley or coriander can replace half the parsley if that is what is waiting in the fridge.

Any leftovers should be stored separately: keep the prawns in an airtight container and refrigerate the zucchini noodles so they do not continue steaming in their own moisture. Reheat both gently in a frying pan with a splash of water, then recombine just before serving. The prawns only need warming through, while the noodles benefit from a brief toss.

Serve it straight from the pan

Spoon the garlic butter zucchini noodles into warm bowls and arrange the prawns on top rather than stirring everything into a heap. Finish with the remaining parsley, a little grated parmesan and a wedge of lemon. A crisp green salad or a slice of warm sourdough alongside makes it feel like a complete dinner, while the bowls keep the meal suitably informal for sharing.