From Villa Kitchen to Backyard BBQ
Some of the best meals aren’t found in restaurants. They’re created around a kitchen island, with the aroma of fresh herbs, sizzling seafood, and stories shared between strangers who quickly become friends.
During our stay in a villa in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, we were lucky enough to spend an evening with a local chef, Virginia, who prepared a beautiful three course dinner for us. More than just serving a meal, she welcomed us into Dominican home cooking, sharing the ingredients she grew up with and explaining how many family recipes are shaped by whatever is freshest that day.
Virginia served crispy green plantain nests, carefully shaped into edible bowls and filled with chopped prawns simmered in a rich coconut sauce scented with garlic, peppers, herbs, and warming local spices. Every bite balanced crisp, creamy, sweet, and savoury flavours, finished with a freshness from citrus and herbs that brought the whole dish to life.
As someone with Chinese and Vietnamese heritage, I was surprised by how familiar the flavours felt. Coconut milk, seafood, garlic, ginger, and fresh herbs are ingredients I grew up eating, yet here they were paired with Caribbean staples like green plantains. It was a reminder that although cuisines may be separated by oceans, they often speak the same language through flavour.
That meal became one of the standout memories of our trip. Long after we returned home, we found ourselves talking about it and wondering how we could recreate those tropical flavours in a way that suited our own style of cooking.
Rather than reproducing Virginia’s beautiful plantain nests, we took inspiration from the heart of the dish and transformed it into something perfect for summer barbecues.
The result is these Coconut BBQ Prawn Skewers.
Marinated in creamy coconut milk, garlic, ginger, and warming spices, the prawns stay wonderfully juicy while developing a lightly caramelised finish over the barbecue. Finished with fresh lime and coriander, they capture the tropical flavours that transported us straight back to that evening in Las Terrenas.
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour to overnight for marinating
Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the prawns
- 800g large raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 12 bamboo or metal skewers
For the coconut marinade
- 200ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- Fresh coriander to garnish
- Crushed plantain chips (optional)
- Toasted coconut flakes (optional)
- Lime wedges
- Grilled pineapple
- Coconut rice, steamed rice, or grilled flatbreads
Method
Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients until smooth.
Pour over the prawns, season with pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight for the best flavour.
Thread the prawns onto skewers, allowing any excess marinade to drip away.
Preheat the barbecue or grill to a medium high heat.
Cook the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until lightly charred and just cooked through.
Transfer to a serving platter, scatter over toasted coconut flakes and then finish with plenty of fresh lime juice and coriander to garnish.
Optional Coconut Glaze
If you’ve reserved some unused marinade, simmer it with an extra tablespoon of honey until slightly thickened. Brush over the prawns during the final minute of cooking for a glossy finish.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with grilled pineapple, mango salsa, charred corn, coconut rice, or a crisp cabbage slaw for an easy summer meal inspired by the Caribbean.
Final Thoughts
Travelling has a way of introducing you to flavours that stay with you long after you’ve returned home, and Virginia’s coconut prawns were exactly that kind of dish.
This recipe isn’t intended to be a copy of what she cooked for us. Instead, it’s our way of celebrating the experience by taking the flavours that inspired us and giving them a new life around our own barbecue. It leaves ideas, techniques, and memories that find their way back into the kitchen. For us, that’s one of the greatest pleasures of cooking.
We hope these Coconut BBQ Prawn Skewers inspire you to do the same. Cook with curiosity, learn from the people you meet, and let every journey become part of your own story.
