Some dishes look like chef’s work and take almost none. Grilled prawns in a spicy nduja butter is one of them. Here is the idea, a little history, and a recipe you can pull off on a weeknight.
Great food has a history, and this one is a quiet meeting of two traditions: British prawns cooked simply, and a fiery Italian salami that does all the heavy lifting. The result tastes like something you would order out, but it comes together in the time it takes to set the table. The after you want here is rich, spicy, buttery prawns with a sauce worth mopping up, ready in about 15 minutes.
Quick answer: Grilled prawns with nduja butter are large shrimp cooked hot and fast, then tossed in butter blended with nduja, a soft spicy Italian salami. The butter melts into a quick sauce. If you cannot find nduja, harissa or chili crisp works. The dish takes about 15 minutes.
What is nduja?
Nduja (say “en-DOO-yah”) is a soft, spreadable salami from Calabria in southern Italy. It is made with pork and a generous amount of chili, which gives it heat and a deep, savoury richness. Unlike a firm salami you slice, nduja spreads like a paste, so it melts beautifully into butter or sauce. Most large grocers now carry it near the deli counter.
That melting quality is the whole trick here. You are not really making a sauce from scratch. You are letting a good ingredient do the work.
Where the dish comes from
Prawns cooked in butter and garlic are an old British and European favourite, the kind of quick seafood starter that has been feeding people for generations. What is new is the Italian accent. As nduja moved from a regional Calabrian speciality to a shelf in the average supermarket over the past decade, cooks started stirring it into everything from pasta to butter.
The dish caught wider attention when it appeared in the 2026 Wimbledon menu, where grilled crevettes with a British nduja butter sauce were served as a modern showpiece. Crevettes are simply large prawns, what North Americans call jumbo shrimp. The home version keeps the spirit and drops the fuss.
What can I use instead of nduja?
If your shop does not stock it, reach for harissa, the North African chili paste, or chili crisp, the popular Chinese condiment. Use about a teaspoon in place of a tablespoon of nduja, since both are potent, and add a pinch of smoked paprika for the savoury, meaty note nduja brings.
Grilled prawns with nduja butter: quick facts
- What it is: large shrimp tossed in a spicy nduja butter sauce
- Key ingredient: nduja, a soft spreadable Calabrian salami
- Time: about 15 minutes
- Substitutes: harissa or chili crisp for the nduja
- Serve with: crusty bread, grilled corn, or new potatoes
- Wimbledon link: a version appeared on the 2026 Championship menu
Frequently asked questions
What does nduja taste like? Spicy, rich, and savoury, with a deep pork flavour and a strong chili heat. Because it is soft, it melts smoothly into sauces rather than sitting in slices.
Can I make this without a grill? Yes. A hot frying pan works perfectly. Cook the shrimp about two minutes a side, then toss them in the nduja butter off the heat.
How do I know when shrimp are cooked? They turn pink and opaque and curl into a loose C shape. A tight O shape means they are overcooked, so pull them off as soon as they turn.
Is this dish very spicy? It has a gentle kick. For less heat, use half the nduja. For more, add an extra teaspoon.
A final thought
The best cooking often comes down to choosing one good ingredient and letting it work. Nduja butter is exactly that. Cook the prawns hot, toss them through, and you have a starter that punches well above the effort it took. Great food has a history, and this one is still being written, one spicy spoonful at a time.
If you make it, I would love to see it. Pass this along to the friend who thinks weeknight dinners have to be dull.
Grilled Prawns with Nduja Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound 450 g large shrimp, peeled, tails on
- 4 tbsp. 55 g butter, softened
- 1 tbsp. nduja or 1 teaspoon harissa or chili crisp
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 bunch Chopped parsley to finish
Instructions
- Mash the nduja, garlic, and lemon juice into the soft butter until smooth.
- Pat the shrimp dry and season lightly with salt.
- Grill or pan-fry the shrimp over high heat, about 2 minutes a side, until pink and opaque.
- Off the heat, add the nduja butter to the hot pan and toss the shrimp so the butter melts into a sauce.
- Finish with parsley. Serve with bread to mop the pan.
Notes
