Prawn and Mango Stir-Fry with Avocado
Sweet mango and juicy prawns tossed in a hot pan with lime, then folded with cool avocado. A light, protein-rich dinner that comes together in one skillet.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 7
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Sautéing
- Savory
- Quick
- Light
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Pat the 150 g prawns dry with paper towels and put them in a small bowl. Add 0.25 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper and toss to coat.
~2 min
Drying prawns prevents surface moisture from steaming them, so they brown instead of turning rubbery.
-
Peel the mango and cut the flesh away from the stone into 2 cm chunks. Halve the avocado, remove the stone, scoop the flesh out with a spoon and cut it into 2 cm chunks. Cut the lime in half.
~4 min
-
Set a large non-stick pan over high heat and add 1 tbsp oil. When the oil shimmers, add the prawns in a single layer and cook until they turn pink and opaque, about 1.5 minutes per side.
~3 min
High heat and shimmering oil create a quick sear, keeping prawns juicy and preventing them from overcooking.
Pat the prawns completely dry before they hit the pan. Surface moisture steams them and they turn rubbery instead of browning.
Searing Get the pan very hot and pat prawns dry; cook in a single layer without moving until pink and opaque, about 1.5 minutes per side. Overcrowding steams them.
-
Add the mango chunks to the pan and toss for 1 minute, just until they soften slightly and release their juice.
~1 min
Brief cooking softens mango and releases juice, which mixes with prawn juices to form a light sauce.
Sautéing Toss mango quickly over high heat for just 1 minute to soften slightly without turning mushy. Keep the pieces moving and remove from heat promptly.
-
Take the pan off the heat and squeeze in the juice of half the lime. Fold in the avocado chunks gently so they stay intact. Taste and add more salt or the remaining lime juice if needed.
~1 min
Residual heat warms the avocado without cooking it, and lime juice adds acidity to balance the sweet mango.