Gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns)

Prawns sizzled in olive oil with garlic, dried chilli and a splash of sherry, served bubbling in a terracotta cazuela. The whole dish takes ten minutes; the trick is infusing the oil without burning the garlic.

Ingredients

• 500 g raw prawns, peeled (tails on)
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1-2 dried cayenne chillies (or a pinch of chilli flakes)
• 150 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp fino sherry or white wine
• Salt and chopped parsley
• Crusty bread, mandatory

Method

1. Heat the oil with the garlic and chilli over medium-low heat until the garlic just starts to turn golden at the edges.
2. Add the prawns and salt, turn the heat up and cook 1-2 minutes per side until pink.
3. Splash in the sherry, let it bubble for 30 seconds, scatter parsley and serve immediately in the cazuela, still sizzling.

Tips

• The oil is the dish: mop it up with bread.
• Do not overcook - prawns go rubbery in a minute. Off the heat they keep cooking, so serve fast.