Mozambique Peri Peri Prawn Braai

Mozambique PeriPeri Prawns

What You’ll Need

•  1 kg large prawns, butterflied (shell-on, deveined)

• Bird’s eye chilies:

  o Mild → 3–4

  o Medium → 6–8

  o Hot → 10–12

  o Extra Hot → 14+

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Optional: 1 tbsp honey (for balance)

• 2 tbsp butter (for basting mix)

• Fresh coriander and lemon wedges (for garnish)

  
  
  
  

  1. Butterfly prawns: Cut along the back, remove vein, press flat.

  2. Make periperi paste: Blend chilies, garlic, ginger, vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice.

  3. Simmer sauce: Heat olive oil in a pan, add paste, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. This

  mellows the chili bite and infuses the oil.

  4. Cool & split: Let sauce cool. Divide into two portions:

  o One for marinating prawns.

  o One to mix with butter for basting during grilling.

  5. Marinate: Coat prawns, rest 30–60 minutes.

  6. Braai:

  o Place prawns shell-side down over hot coals.

  o Baste immediately with butter-periperi mix.

  o Grill 2–3 minutes, flip flesh-side down for 1–2 minutes.

  o Keep basting until shells are red and flesh opaque.

  7. Serve: Pile onto platter, drizzle with extra periperi sauce, garnish with coriander and lemon wedges.

  
  

DuoWild Tips:

Serving Notes

 Best with Portuguese rolls (pão), rice, or pap to soak up the sauce.

 Pair with a crisp lager or chilled white wine.

 Eat shell-on, hands messy — that’s the Mozambican way.

This version is the most authentic: simmering the sauce in oil first, then splitting it for marinade

and basting. It gives prawns that glossy, smoky, spicy finish you’ll recognize from Mozambican

beachside grills.