Gambas al Ajillo

Ingredients

• 500 g raw prawns, peeled
• 8 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 120 ml olive oil
• 2 dried red chillies, broken up
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp dry sherry
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• bread, to serve

Method

1. Dry and salt the prawns

   Pat the prawns thoroughly dry and salt them. Wet prawns dropped into hot oil spit ferociously and poach rather than sear.

2. Start the garlic cold

   Put the oil, sliced garlic and chillies in a cold pan and bring them up slowly over a medium heat until the garlic is pale gold and the oil is fragrant. Started hot, the garlic burns and takes the whole dish with it.

   5 min

3. Prawns in one layer

   Turn the heat up, add the prawns in a single layer and leave them 60 seconds before turning. They need barely a minute a side — a tight O shape means overcooked, a loose C is right.

   2 min

4. Paprika and sherry off the heat

   Take the pan off the heat, stir in the paprika and sherry and let the residual heat cook off the alcohol. Paprika added to a hot pan scorches within seconds.

5. Serve in the pan

   Scatter with parsley and take it to the table sizzling, with plenty of bread. The garlicky oil is at least half the point — nobody should leave any.