Garlic king prawns
King prawns have a firm snap that survives fierce heat, so this is a two-pan-minute dish where the skill is restraint. Buy them raw and shell-on for the deepest flavour and we peel and devein them at the counter free, or butterfly them so they cook flat and catch more butter. The doneness cue is shape, a loose C is perfect and a tight O has gone too far.
Ingredients
- 400g raw king prawns, shell-on (ask the counter to peel, devein and butterfly them, free)
- 50g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dry sherry or white wine (optional)
- a squeeze of lemon
- a handful of chopped parsley
- sea salt
Method
- Pat the prawns very dry and season them. Wet prawns steam grey instead of catching colour.
- Heat the oil with half the butter in a wide pan over medium-high heat until it foams.
- Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant and barely golden. Past golden it turns bitter fast.
- Add the prawns in a single layer and leave them alone for 1 minute so they blister, then turn each one.
- Cook 1 minute more until they curl into a loose C and turn pink and opaque, then splash in the sherry and let it bubble for 30 seconds.
- Pull the pan off the heat, add the rest of the butter, the lemon and the parsley and swirl into a glossy sauce.
- Season and serve straight from the pan while it still spits.
To serve: Take the pan to the table with bread for the butter and a bowl for shells if you kept them on. To drink, a cold fino or a dry white.
Shop this recipe: king prawns and what is on the counter today. Peeled and deveined at the counter, free.
