SeafoodEasy

Garlic Prawns

Name: Garlic Prawns
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive oil; 10 cloves Garlic; 600 g Large prawns; 1 tsp Guajillo chilli powder; 3 tbsp Lime juice; 80 g Butter; 3 sprigs Fresh parsley; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 1 tsp Salt; 60 ml White wine

30 min (15 prep + 15 cook) Easy 4 servings Costas de Mexico

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 4 Feb 2026 · Updated: 10 Mar 2026

Prawns sauteed in butter with plenty of golden garlic, lime and guajillo chilli.

About this recipe

Camarones al mojo de ajo is a beautifully simple dish bursting with flavour. The prawns are sauteed in generous amounts of butter with thinly sliced garlic cooked until golden, then finished with a squeeze of lime, guajillo chilli and parsley. It is a staple of Mexican coastal restaurants.

History & Origin

Camarones al mojo de ajo is an iconic dish of coastal Mexican restaurants, from Puerto Vallarta to Cancún. The 'mojo de ajo' technique has Spanish influence, derived from the Canarian 'mojo' that combines garlic, oil and acid, but in México it was adapted using butter, lime and guajillo chilli. The secret of this dish lies in slowly browning garlic slices in butter until they are crisp and aromatic, without burning them. It became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of tourism along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of México. It is served as a main course in seaside restaurants, accompanied by white rice, and it is tradition to soak crusty bread in the garlic butter sauce left on the plate.

Estimated cost

£25.89

Total cost

£6.48

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

351

Calories

30g

Protein

24g

Carbohydrates

17g

Fat

Fibre

960mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Clean the prawns, removing the shell but leaving the tail for presentation. Remove the black vein. Season with salt and pepper.
2
Pela the 10 garlic cloves y cortalos en laminas finas (no the piques; the laminas are la clave of the mojo de garlic).
💡 El secreto of the mojo de garlic are the laminas de garlic doradas lentamente. Usa un cuchillo afilado for cortarlas uniformemente delgadas.
3
Heat the butter and olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-low heat. When the butter melts and stops foaming, add the garlic slices.
4
Cook the garlic slowly for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the slices are golden and crispy. Don't raise the heat; burnt garlic makes the entire dish bitter.
5
Raise the heat to high. Add the prawns in a single layer. Cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes until the underside is pink and golden.
6
Flip the prawns and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate for 1 minute. Add the guajillo chilli powder.
7
Exprime el jugo de limon on the prawns. Espolvorea el parsley chopped. Mezcla all for 30 segundos mas.
8
Sirve de inmediato en un dish hot, banando the prawns with la butter de garlic de la sarten. Acompana with white rice y ensalada.
💡 Sirve with bread crispy for mojar en la salsa de butter with garlic; es la mejor part of the dish.