Garlic prawns (gambas al pil pil)

Buy a terracotta cazuela dish to cook this classic prawn dish in and master the recipe. You’ll look great and friends will never come down with colds! Cooking anything in a cazuela will give it that special Spanish "something". The smaller clay dishes can be used on the stove to make recipes such as this, the larger ones to bake meat on the bone until it is really tender or to gently cook vegetable dishes.

• serves

  2–3

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• olive oil 
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced 
• 1 small red chilli, chopped
• 12 green prawns, shelled, tails intact 
• pinch of salt 
• 2 tbsp white wine 
• 2 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Pour oil into a small frying pan or cazuela dish to about 1.5 cm deep. Heat over medium–high heat.

Add the garlic, chilli and prawns, they should start sizzling immediately. Cook for 15 seconds then turn the prawns over. Add the salt, white wine and parsley, then serve straightaway.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.