This was always the go-to restaurant appetizer back in the day (prawns in garlicky oil and salt - later soaked up with bread). Served with rice and cooked with light veggies, my version makes it a main meal (Peter).
This dish uses some key ingredients in a recipe from the famous Doyle's Seafood Restaurant in Australia as a start (primarily brandy) - but goes in a direction never dreamed of back in Sydney's Watsons Bay.

Garlic Prawns

Ingredients

1-2 lbs green (raw) prawns (shrimp)
1 knob garlic, all cloves crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1-2 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons brandy
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 large red onion, sectioned small, lengthways
2-3 carrots, cut julienne style
2 teaspoons sugar
1 jalapeño chili, chopped small
1/2 - 1 cup water
1-2 cups Italian (flat leaf) parsley chopped*
1 tablespoon cornflour to thicken
* I like to use parsley as a vegetable (i.e. lots) and it adds much needed color.  If no parsley consider another green such as snow peas.

Method

1. Thaw your prawns if frozen.

2. Peel and cut the carrot julienne style and section the onions into narrow wedges.

3. Put on your rice - around 1/2 a cup per person.
Picture
4. Pull out a large wok or heavy bottomed pan and add the oil, garlic, salt, pepper, brandy, fish sauce, juice of 1 lemon and sugar. Stir well. Heat, then toss in the carrots and onions and cook 3 mins or so.

5. Rinse the prawns, de-vein if necessary, remove any foreign objects or stray parts. 

(We like to use the big Costco 2 pound bags of frozen prawns that still have their tails on.)
4. Add the jalapeño and the prawns and enough water to allow everything to cook and form the basis of a sauce.  Cook for 5 mins or so - half covered - until prawns are just done.

5. Check for seasoning.  If necessary (IMHO, it usually is) add the juice of a second lemon.

6. Thicken the sauce a tad: mix 1 tablespoon cornflower in 2 tablespoons of water and stir in with heat on to boil - add more if needed but do not make gluggy.

6. Add the chopped parsley and serve over the rice.