Spicy Prawns

As I was walking along the market this past weekend, my eyes fell on a beautiful display of big, juicy prawns at the fish stand. Unpeeled, in all their crustacean glory. It was one of those magical moments. Perfect timing. The weather was unseasonably warm and all I wanted was to score some great food, come home, cook it and enjoy it for lunch under the huge parasol in my garden.
The prawns were there just for me. I knew it! I bought a pound and to go with them, a baguette, some fresh greens and a bottle of chardonnay. These big guys were practically built to take on an incredible amount of flavor, so I cooked them with spicy chilli oil, lemon, chilli flakes, lots (and I mean LOTS) of garlic, a hint of smoked paprika and chopped parsley.
For a moment, I totally forgot I was in a little garden in Holland and became convinced I was sitting somewhere on the coast of Andalucia...
The taste!!


Here's the recipe:
Spicy Prawns
Serves 2

1 pound of unpeeled prawns, rinsed
4 tbsps chilli oil
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of chilli flakes
pinch of smoked paprika
juice of 1/2 a lemon, plus some slices, serve
chopped parsley
lemon mayo, to serve


Heat the oil and add the garlic making sure it doesn't burn. Add the prawns together with the chilli flakes and the smoked paprika. Stir-fry for about 8 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and take the pan off the heat. Add the parsley and serve with the mayo.