At the top of the list of "Mediterranean Diet", best recipes!

Who doesn´t love tapas? Here in the Marina Alta region, nearly all of the Spanish bars, cafés and restaurants have tapas menus. Always present on the menu, and for us, always a first choice if we are sharing tapas between a group of diners, are “Gambas al Ajillo”. This translates into English as prawns in garlic- Big juicy langostinos, swimming in olive oil infused with slices of fresh garlic, accompanied by a fresh crispy “barra de pan” (baguette of bread) - the stuff dreams are made of!

Gambas or Langostinos?

You can use any prawns for this recipe but we love the bigger meatier ones, which are langostinos (king prawns). Some restaurants use the smaller prawns or even "gambitas"- tiny little prawns, which they think are sweeter. We have sampled them all over Spain in all kinds of traditional Spanish bars and big, international restaurants and the best way to do it is simple... DON´T OVERTHINK IT!  This is a dish to be eaten, as the Spanish do best, with a fork, straight from the cazuela (a terracotta or cast iron dish that goes straight from the cooker to the table) and hunks of crusty bread to dunk in the sauce. No plates needed!

Recipe (serves 4-6)

1) 16 raw, fresh langostinos.

2) 8 large cloves of garlic (you can never have too much garlic- in our opinion), peeled and thinly sliced.

3) 2 dried red chillies or crushed red pepper flakes- just to give a little heat (not spicy).

4) Half a cup of Olive oil- good quality only please!

5) Fresh chopped parsley.

6) Salt and pepper.

An optional extra is a few tablespoons of white wine or dry sherry.

Method

• Prepare the prawns- peel and take out the digestive tract with a sharp knife, we like to butterfly them by cutting a little deeper (more surface area for the garlicky oil), dry thoroughly with kitchen towel and add salt and pepper.
• Gently heat the oil, garlic and chilli flakes on a medium heat. The garlic should be just golden ( it will spoil the taste if it burns)
• Increase the heat slightly and add the prawns. It is optional to add a splash of dry sherry or white wine about now. Cook the prawns for a few minutes each side until they turn from opaque to pink.
• Remove from the heat, sprinkle over your parsley and serve.
• Under no circumstances, forget to serve with a fresh, crusty loaf of bread. This should be left whole for your fellow diners to tear chunks off and dunk in the oil!

Buen provecho!