I love fish and wanted to do something different and fun for dinner; as a result, here is a spin on your usual saltimbocca.

Imagine biting into crunchy prosciutto, wrapping the most tender and savory prawn. And for your coup de grace, a velvety wine butter sauce. A true delight for your palate.

Prawns Saltimbocca

Prepared with a crispy green salad, I am giving you the recipe below on the recipe card, and you have the perfect dinner.

Subscribe to Giangi's Kitchen!

Get my FREE email series: 5 Days of Easy Elevated Recipes plus a weekly newsletter!

First Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You can also have just the prawns saltimbocca by themselves as an appetizer. Delicious either way you choose to enjoy them.

In this Article

What is “Saltimbocca”

Translated word for word, it means: Jump (salti) into the mouth (bocca).

However, in the culinary world, it is an Italian dish of thin slices of veal and ham flavored with sage, rolled together, and quickly sauteed in butter.

Playing with flavors is always fun; replacing the veal with the prawns was easy.

How to make your saltimbocca recipe

First, you want to start with some giant prawns, which you will de-shell, leaving the tail intact.

By deveining them and making a slightly deeper incision, you must tuck in a small leave of sage in the cavity. Make sure you are not going all the way through.

I cut my large leaves in half for the sage to fit in the cavity.

Good prosciutto di Parma is my recommendation. It will crisp up, giving it a great flavor.

A few grinds of peppers all over the prawns and then wrap the prosciutto around it.

The sauce is a must.

The wine and the butter complement each other well. Therefore, when reduced, the wine becomes rich in flavor. The salad, well… it is a must.

How perfect is a delicious, light meal in less than 20 minutes?

Prawns Saltimbocca

Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to make this saltimbocca

This is a quick introduction; please read the recipe for complete instructions.

Prawns – leave the tail on; make it easier to grab and eat, and ensure they are deveined.

Prosciutto – thinly sliced is the best as it will crisp beautifully while the prawns cook.

Sage – fresh and smallest leaves you can use. If a leaf is too big, slice it in half.

White wine – helps make the sauce by infusing great flavor. The alcohol will burn out while you cook it; therefore, it will be ok for the little one to eat.

Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking or baking to control the amount of sodium. Salted butter not only adds too much salt to your dish, but it changes the flavor.

Shaving of Parmesan Cheese – Optional if you have none at the house.

Baby Green – they make the tastiest salad with just olive oil, vinegar, and salt (recipe given below on the recipe card)

Equipment needed

I only recommend what I use and love. To achieve this recipe, I used the following:

Sharp knife – to make a small incision in the body of the prawn

Skillet – a heavy bottom one is my preference as they cook evenly and are stable when frying food.

Toothpicks – to hold the prosciutto in place

Large bowl – to mix the salad and the vinaigrette

A Chef Giangi Pick
Le Creuset Classic Cast Iron Handle Skillet, 9"
Le Creuset Classic Cast Iron Handle Skillet, 9"
$174.95
Buy On Amazon
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
04/18/2025 10:55 am GMT

Pro Tips

I omitted the salt because when the prosciutto comes in contact with the heat source, it becomes drier and emits more salt. By salting the prawns beforehand, you may run into the risk of oversalting your dinner.

Substitutions

If the prawns are unavailable, you can replace them with super-large shrimps. Please ensure they are raw and the black vein removed before using them.

White dry or sweet Vermouth can replace white wine. It is a bit sweeter, and you want to rectify the seasoning of the sauce before serving.

Prawns Saltimbocca on a white plate with green salad

Storage instructions and reheating

If you have some leftovers, lucky you, store them in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for no longer than two days.

Please bring them back to room temperature and warm up in a skillet with butter until war,

The beauty of this recipe is that you do not have to eat it warm; cold tastes are excellent, too.

If you enjoy this delicious Prawn Saltimbocca recipe, look at my other recipes.

Veal Saltimbocca

Caesar’s Salad Dressing with Shrimps Saltimbocca

Prawn Stuffed Yellow Bell Peppers

Parsley Sauce – A Great Sauce

Prawns Saltimbocca – Spin to your Italian Favorite

5 from 2 votes
prawns saltimbocca
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Giangi Townsend
Imagine biting into crunchy prosciutto, wrapping tender and savory prawns. And for your coup de grace, a velvety wine butter sauce.
Print Pin

Ingredients 

  • 12 prawns, tail on and deveined
  • 12 thin slices of prosciutto
  • 12 small fresh sage leaves
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • shaving of parmesan cheese

FOR THE GREEN SALAD

  • Baby mix greens
  • Olive oil
  • vinegar
  • salt

Instructions

FOR THE SALAD

  • Clean the mixed baby green salad and prepare the vinaigrette (1 part vinegar + 3 part olive oil + salt) and set them both separate aside.

FOR EHT PRAWNS SALTIMBOCCA

  • Widen the opening a bit larger of the prawn and place one small leave of save in the cavity. If leaves large cut in half.
  • Grind pepper over the prawns. Wrap each prawn with one slice of prosciutto di Parma. Use a toothpick to hold together.
  • Melt 1 ½ tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook prawns for 2 to 3 on each side. They have to be nicely golden brown.
  • Remove the prawns from the skillet and set aside.
  • Discard excess butter from skillet. Place the skillet over medium high heat. Add the wine and deglaze the skillet. Add the butter and swirl until melted.
  • Mix the salad with the vinaigrette. Arrange the salad in the middle of the plate. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over it. Arrange the prawns on the salad and spoon the sauce over them.

Notes

Pro Tips

I omitted the salt because when the prosciutto comes in contact with the heat source, it becomes drier and emits more salt. By salting the prawns beforehand, you may run into the risk of oversalting your dinner.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 83mg | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @giangiskitchen on Instagram