Gordon Ramsay’s prawn salad is a quick, vibrant dish made with stir-fried tiger prawns (shrimp), fresh mango, ripe avocado, ginger, garlic, and lime juice. It takes about 15 minutes and serves two as a light dinner or starter.
The recipe appears as Tiger Prawn Salad with Mango and Avocado in Gordon Ramsay’s Make It Easy (2005), where he writes “I always look for the largest, freshest tiger prawns in the fish market. They need little cooking and taste divine.” He pairs the warm prawns with cool mango and avocado on the same platter.
What makes his version different is the mango puree. He blitzes half the mango into a smooth sauce and dices the other half to toss with the prawns. That puree gets drizzled around the edge of the plate, so every forkful of avocado picks up sweetness underneath while the diced mango adds texture on top.
Gordon Ramsay Prawn Salad Recipe
Course: SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
10
minutes5
258
kcal15
A warm prawn and mango salad from Gordon Ramsay’s Make It Easy, built around stir-fried tiger prawns with ginger and garlic served over sliced avocado. The mango works double duty: half pureed into a sauce, half diced through the prawns for contrasting textures.
Ingredients
12 raw tiger prawns (large shrimp), peeled with heads removed
1 large ripe mango, peeled
1 large ripe avocado, peeled
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cm (1/2 inch) piece fresh root ginger, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Prep the mango: Blitz half the mango flesh in a blender or small food processor to a smooth puree and set aside. Dice the remaining half into small pieces.
- Arrange the avocado: Halve the avocado and remove the stone, then slice it. Fan the slices around the outside of a small platter and drizzle with the lemon juice to stop them browning.
- Stir-fry the prawns: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the whole piece of ginger and garlic clove, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the prawns and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until they turn pink. Don’t overcook them or they go rubbery. Drizzle with the lime juice and take off the heat. Discard the ginger and garlic.
- Toss with mango: Add the diced mango to the prawns in the pan and toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate and serve: Pile the prawns and diced mango into the middle of the platter, on top of the avocado. Scatter over the chopped parsley. Drizzle the mango puree around the edge of the plate and serve immediately.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay cook the ginger and garlic whole then discard them?
He drops in a whole piece of ginger and a whole garlic clove to flavour the oil without leaving chunks in the finished salad. Thirty seconds in hot oil is enough to release their aroma into the pan, and removing them keeps the focus on the prawns. Minced garlic and ginger would brown and stick to the prawns, which changes the texture of the dish.
Why only 2-3 minutes for the prawns?
Tiger prawns cook fast because they’re thin, and they keep cooking from residual heat after you take the pan off the flame. Going past 3 minutes turns them rubbery and tough. Ramsay says they “need little cooking,” so you’re watching for the moment they turn from translucent to pink all the way through, then stopping immediately.
Why split the mango between a puree and diced pieces?
The puree works as a sauce that pools under the avocado slices, giving every bite a sweet base. The diced mango tossed with the warm prawns adds bursts of texture and freshness. Using the same fruit two ways gives the salad depth without adding extra ingredients, because you get both a smooth background flavour and a chunky contrast in the same dish.
How is this different from his other prawn salads?
Ramsay has prawn salads in three other books, each completely different. His Prawn Waldorf Salad from Ultimate Fit Food swaps mayo for Greek yoghurt and pairs king prawns with apple, grapes, and walnuts. The Soba Noodle and Brown Shrimp Salad from Quick and Delicious goes Japanese with tamari, sesame, and ginger dressing over noodles.
This Make It Easy version is the most prawn-forward of the four, because nothing competes with the shellfish. The mango and avocado support the prawns rather than sharing the spotlight.
What sides work well with this?
Since this is already a light, tropical-leaning dish, keep the sides simple. A cucumber salad adds cool crunch without clashing with the mango, or serve it alongside a green bean salad for something more substantial. Ramsay positions this as a dinner-for-two starter in the book, so a piece of grilled fish or chicken after it rounds out the meal.
I’m Ava Taylor. I’m A Self-taught Home Cook Who Loves Gordon Ramsay Recipes. I Try Every Dish In My Small Apartment Kitchen And Tweak It Until It Works. I Write Clear Steps With Simple Words So Anyone Can Follow. I Share Honest Wins, Mistakes, And Quick Tips To Help You Cook With Confidence.