Here’s a post on How to Make Prawn Pickle at home and enjoy it with your simple meals. Prawn Pickle, Shrimp Pickle, or Prawn Balchao as we call it is an East Indian and also a Goan specialty and served as a condiment. Prawn pickle is a tangy and slightly spicy recipe like most of the pickles.
Table of Contents
- About Prawn Pickle
- How to Make Prawn Pickle
- Watch the video on How to Make Prawn Pickle
- Recipe for Prawn Pickle
About Prawn Pickle
When prawns are in abundance, the best way to store and preserve them is to make this Prawn Pickle. The pickle has a shelf life of at least six months but can last up to a year if you handle it with care. The vinegar and oil help to preserve the prawn pickle for a longer period.
A dollop of prawn pickle will make your most simple dish appetizing. You can enjoy a small portion of this pickle with your favourite dal and rice on a rainy day.
Traditionally this prawn pickle was made and preserved for the monsoons when the supply of fish is scarce. But we love to have this throughout the year and always keep a jar handy at home.
We Indians love pickles in any form and prawn pickle is a delight for every seafood lover. Quick and easy to prepare, this prawn pickle is best eaten after a couple of days of preparation. The pickle has to mature for at least a week to bring out its exotic flavours.
How to Make Prawn Pickle
To make Prawn Pickle the East Indian way, we use the basic East Indian Vindaloo Masala Paste. I like to add some whole spices to this but it can be given a skip.
We shell the whole prawn or shrimp and then devein and wash them well. It is best to use the small variety or medium variety prawns for this recipe. But if you have large prawns, no worries. simply cut them into halves. The idea is to enjoy a small bit of the prawn that is coated with the tangy and spicy masala paste.
Some like to add these prawns directly into the vindaloo masala paste but I prefer to shallow fry them. Frying the prawns seals the juices keeping them flavourful. Moreover, the pickle stays fresh for a longer period when you use fried prawns or shrimps.
Frying the masala paste and then cooking the prawns in it brings out the flavour and also helps in preserving the pickle. Always preserve this pickle in a glass jar or container as is traditionally done since it contains vinegar. Now let’s dive into the recipe for Prawn Pickle
Watch the video on How to Make Prawn Pickle
Recipe for Prawn Pickle
Though similar to the Goan Style Prawn Pickle, this East Indian Style Recipe has a few variations. The East Indian Vindaloo masala acts as a base along with a few other ingredients.
Ingredients
- PRAWNS. Any variety of prawns will work fine for this recipe. Preferably smaller prawns are perfect for making prawn pickles.
- MUSTARD SEEDS & CURRY LEAVES. Gives a nice flavour to the prawn pickle. You could skip mustard seeds or curry leaves.
- OIL. As this is a pickle recipe we add a little extra oil. Use any vegetable oil that you like for this recipe.
- MASALA PASTE. A few ingredients go into making of the masala paste which is basically a vindaloo masala. These are listed as under has to be ground into a smooth but slightly coarse paste.
- Dried Kashmiri Chillies– I prefer to use dried red Kashmiri chillies for this recipe for its vibrant red colour and also its mild spice level.
- Garlic – You can use one whole garlic pod or even add a few more cloves of garlic for this masala paste.
- Ginger – About an inch of ginger is fine in this recipe.
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- Whole spices – can be optional but I recommend that you use whole spices such as cinnamon stick, cloves and peppercorns.
- Vinegar – I like to soak the dried Kashmiri chillies in vinegar for a few minutes before blending them into a paste along with other ingredients.
Method
Wash and devein the prawns. Marinate in salt and turmeric for at least 30 minutes.
Grind the masala ingredients to a slightly coarse paste adding a little more vinegar, if needed. Soak the red chillies in vinegar before you could blend them.
Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the prawns for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the prawns into a pan and set them aside.
Into the same pan add 1/2 a cup of oil. When the oil heats put in a tsp of mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds splutter add in a handful of curry leaves.
Next, add in the masala paste and fry for 6 to 7 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste and rinse the blender jar with 2 to 3 tbsp of vinegar and add it to the masala. Add a few more curry leaves and cover the vessel and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Finally, cook on a medium to low flame till oil separates and then switch off the flame.
Allow this to cool completely before you could store it in a glass jar.
This is spicy and tangy Prawn Pickle is preserved and best eaten after 5 to 6 days until the strong flavours mellow down.
How do you eat a Prawn Pickle (Serving Suggestions)
Prawn pickle has strong flavours, it’s spicy and tangy and hence eaten as a condiment. Serve it with your main course meals as an appetizer/pickle or side dish.
A little pickle makes even the most simple dish delectable. You can eat Prawn Pickle with your favourite dal and rice or rice and vegetables.
Other Prawn Recipes that you may like
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Printable Recipe
How to Make Prawn Pickle | Prawn Balchao
Ingredients
- 250 grams Prawns, shelled and deveined (40 to 45 medium prawns)
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ cup Oil for cooking (+ 1tbsp for frying)
- 12 – 15 Curry Leaves
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Sugar (add more if needed)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp Vinegar (extra)
For the Masala Paste
- 15 Dried Kashmiri Chillies
- 10 to 12 Garlic cloves
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
- Whole spices (1-inch cinnamon, 4 cloves, 1/2 tsp peppercorns)
- ½ cup Vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and devein the prawns. Marinate in salt and turmeric for at least 30 minutes.
- Grind the masala ingredients to a slightly coarse paste adding a little more vinegar, if needed. Soak the red chillies in vinegar before you could blend them.
- Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the prawns for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the prawns into a pan and set them aside.
- Into the same pan add 1/2 a cup of oil. When the oil heats put in a tsp of mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds splutter add in a handful of curry leaves.
- Next, add in the masala paste and fry for 6 to 7 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste and rinse the blender jar with 2 to 3 tbsp of vinegar and add it to the masala. Add a few more curry leaves and cover the vessel and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Finally, cook on a medium to low flame till oil separates and then switch off the flame.
- Allow this to cool completely before you could store it in a glass jar.
- This is preserved and best eaten after 5 to 6 days until the strong flavours mellow down.
Notes
- Adjust vinegar and sugar to suit your taste.
- Devein and wash the prawns and fry well to remove moisture.
- Store in a glass jar when cool.
- Allow the pickle to mature and eat after 5 to 6 days.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love Anita