GF

Juicy prawns are tossed in a mixture of garlic and herbs with fresh tomatoes and lemon. Baked in a skillet, this is a super tasty and stunning starter to enjoy on a long summer evening.

This is one of those recipes that is so easy to prepare, yet it looks like you’ve put in the effort. Fresh summer produce does all the work here and lets the simple flavours sing. Be sure to use fresh tomatoes that are in season as they will make the dish taste so much better. Better again if you can use homegrown and ripened on the vine!

I like to serve these prawns topped with fresh basil and accompanied with thick slices of warm sourdough bread.

What's in this recipe?

Baked prawns with fresh tomatoes & lemon

Prawns
I like to use raw prawns with tails off for this recipe. The tails give more flavour however due to convenience; you don’t want to be removing tails after dipping your big crusty piece of sourdough!
Extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil is used to marinate the flavours into the prawns and tomatoes and keep everything juicy. A good quality oil will impact the taste of this simple dish!
Roma & cherry tomatoes
I like to use Roma tomatoes due to their long shape and firm flesh so you don’t get a sloppy tomato mess. Cherry tomatoes are beautiful and sweet and add delicious pops of flavour. Roma tomatoes can be substituted with regular or truss tomatoes however your sauce will be juicier.
Lemon juice & zest
Lemon juice gives the dish an acidic lift and brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes and prawns. Zest reinforces the fresh lemon flavour. Please use fresh lemon juice here, not the packet stuff!
Dried thyme & oregano
A combination of dried thyme and oregano gives a beautiful herby fragrance and Italian flavour. Thyme can be substituted with more oregano and vice versa.
Garlic
Fresh garlic gives this dish so much flavour. Please use fresh garlic, not the packet stuff as it will overpower the delicate flavours in this dish.
Chili flakes
A touch of chili flakes just gives this dish the slightest heat on the palate that compliments the tomatoes so well. Can be left out if sensitive to heat.
Salt & pepper
Salt brings out the flavour in the dish and pepper gives it a little heat and texture.
Cream cheese
Cream cheese is broken into rough chunks and sprinkled over the dish before baking. It browns a little in the oven and leaves you with creamy chunks that spread perfectly onto bread. The secret superstar of this recipe!

Step-by-step photos

Mixing ingredients together

Spreading ingredients into skillet