A great addition to your planned dishes whether it is a special occasion or an ordinary day. Baked sugpo or baked prawns is very easy to prepare and consist of only very basic and few ingredients yet the taste is superb. If you are looking for an easy to prepare and simple prawn recipe then this is for you. Let your guest or your family indulge on this delicious dish that they will truly enjoy.
A Simple Yet Special Family Favorite
There are dishes that just hit different not because they’re fancy, but because they remind you of home. This recipe for baked prawns—or baked sugpo, as we fondly call it back in Cavite—is one of those dishes for me. I first tasted this when my Tita Nene made it for Noche Buena about ten years ago. She was never one for complicated recipes. Her style in the kitchen was always “what you have is what you use,” and yet every dish she made had this warmth that made you want seconds. Sometimes thirds.
Easy Baked Prawns for Any Occasion
The beauty of this seafood recipe is in its simplicity. Just prawns, butter, garlic, a little ginger, calamansi juice, and soy sauce. That’s it. But when baked just right, the flavors come together in the most satisfying way. The butter adds richness, the garlic and ginger give it a kick, and the calamansi cuts through it all with a bit of brightness. My cousin Dindo, who came back from Iloilo last summer, said this reminded him of the sugpo dishes sold near the Iloilo pier, except this one’s more refined and less oily.
What I love most is that it doesn’t matter if it’s a weekday dinner or a birthday handaan, this dish fits right in. I recently made this for my son’s birthday, and my father-in-law, who rarely compliments anything that isn’t sinigang, actually said, “Masarap ‘to ah, saan mo natutunan?”
How to Make Baked Prawns the Easy Way
Start by removing the antennae and legs of the prawns. Slitting the back and deveining them makes a huge difference not just for cleanliness but also for presentation. The prawns open up like little boats, catching all that buttery sauce as they bake. It’s also a trick my uncle Jun taught me; he used to say, “Open them up so the flavors go inside, hindi lang sa ibabaw.” He wasn’t wrong.
Sauteing the garlic and ginger in butter first draws out their full aroma without burning them. Doing this separately before baking prevents the garlic from turning bitter, a common mistake if you toss everything in raw. The mixture of calamansi juice and soy sauce adds a balanced depth that’s savory with a hint of citrus—very Pinoy.
Lining your baking dish with foil isn’t just for easy cleanup. It also helps lock in the steam and flavor as it bakes. Once everything is laid out and drizzled with the sauce, topping the prawns with spring onions gives a pop of color and a subtle sharpness that cuts the richness. After just 15 minutes in the oven at 350°F, you’ll get perfectly cooked, juicy seafood that smells like home.
A Brief History of Baked Prawns in Filipino Cuisine
While not as old-school as adobo or kare-kare, baked prawns have found their way into many Filipino households, especially during the holidays. With the abundance of fresh seafood in our islands, it was only a matter of time before Filipinos started adapting Western baking techniques to local ingredients. Butter and soy sauce, for example, might seem like an odd pair, but they blend surprisingly well. This kind of East-meets-West flavor pairing is something we do effortlessly here.
The idea of baking prawns may have come from Chinese-Filipino culinary traditions, where steamed or baked shellfish are common during celebrations. Over time, families like mine began adding their own touches—some add cheese, others include chili. But for me, this simple version hits closest to home.
Why This Simple Seafood Recipe Works
Beginner cooks will appreciate how forgiving this recipe is. You don’t need to marinate, stir-fry, or time multiple steps. Everything goes in the oven, and the results are consistently delicious. The technique of pre-sauteing aromatics ensures they meld into the sauce instead of sitting raw. The foil seals in the juices, almost like steaming the prawns in their own flavor bath.
And because the seasoning is minimal yet flavorful, the natural sweetness of the sugpo shines. If you’re working with fresh seafood, that’s exactly what you want—to let the prawns speak for themselves.
Final Thoughts on This Easy Prawn Recipe
Baked sugpo is one of those dishes you make once and keep coming back to. It’s easy, it’s reliable, and it never fails to impress. Whether you’re cooking for a few friends or a full family gathering, this recipe makes everyone feel special. And isn’t that what good food is all about?
How to Cook Baked Prawns (Baked Sugpo)
Ingredients
- 20 pcs big tiger prawns butterflied with head, shell and tail still intact
- 10 pcs calamansi juice extracted
- 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
- 250 grams butter
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. spring onions chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
How to cook baked sugpo:
- Remove the antennae and legs of the prawns.
- Slit the back of the prawns, devein and open.
- In a skillet, heat butter and saute garlic and ginger for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Lay out the aluminum foil on a baking dish.
- Put prawns on the foil and season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with calamansi juice, melted butter mixture and soy sauce.
- Top with spring onions and seal both ends of the aluminum foil.
- Bake in a 350 °F oven for 15 minutes or until cooked.
Notes
Cooking Tips:
Choose Fresh, Large Prawns for Best Flavor
Fresh sugpo with firm, translucent flesh will always yield the sweetest and juiciest results. Larger prawns also hold up better during baking and soak in more of the buttery garlic sauce. If you're buying from the market, go early in the morning for the best catch.Pre-Sauté Aromatics Before Baking
Sauteing garlic and ginger in butter before adding them to the prawns enhances their flavor without burning them during baking. This technique allows the aromatics to release their oils and infuse the butter, creating a richer, more layered taste. It also prevents raw garlic from turning bitter in the oven.Don’t Overbake to Keep Prawns Juicy
Prawns cook quickly, and leaving them in the oven too long can make them rubbery. Stick to the 15-minute bake time at 350°F to keep them tender and moist. Sealing them in foil helps trap steam, locking in flavor while keeping the texture perfect.
