Cajun prawns with sweet potato mash

Cajun prawns with sweet potato mash

This delish dish doesn’t ‘shrimp’ on the warming Cajun spice – it’s sprinkled into the prawns (along with garlic, thyme, lemon zest and smoked paprika), and into the sweet potato mash. It’s a punchy plate-packer – and absolutely perfect with a side of roasted broccoli.

SWK: High protein Plants 7 SWK: High fibre

Serving size

Cook time: 35 mins
Cuisine: American
Food group: Shellfish
Allergens: Celery, Crustaceans

Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

Get the broccoli in the oven

  • Heat your oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC/gas 6.
  • Cut the broccoli into florets and put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spritz with cooking spray and roast for 10-15 mins.

Make the mash

  • Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into 2cm cubes. Cook in boiling water for 15-18 mins, then drain, return to the pan and mash with half the Cajun spice.

Prep the veg

  • At the same time, finely chop the thyme leaves. Zest and halve the lemon, then cut 1 half into wedges.
  • Peel and thinly slice the onions, deseed and thinly slice the peppers, and peel and crush the garlic. Thinly slice the spring onions.

Things get spicy!

  • Spritz a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray and put it over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions and peppers for 6-8 mins.
  • Stir in the remaining Cajun spice, the thyme, lemon zest, garlic, prawns and paprika and cook for 2 mins.
  • Dissolve half the stock cube in 150ml boiled water (use all the stock and 200ml water for 4 portions), pour into the pan and simmer for 3-4 mins, until the prawns are pink.

Plate up

  • Squeeze the juice from the lemon half into the prawns (to taste).
  • Serve the Cajun prawns with the mash, broccoli and lemon wedges, and the spring onions scattered over.

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