Sizzling Garlic Prawns (Gambas al Ajillo) with Chilli and Parsley
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
Lightly salted prawns are cooked quickly in olive oil slowly infused with garlic and chilli, then finished with parsley and lemon and served with crusty bread.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Salt the prawns. Pat the prawns dry, toss with the salt and chill 15 minutes.
- 2
Infuse the oil. Put the oil, garlic and chilli in a cold pan and heat over medium-low for 6-8 minutes until the garlic is pale gold. Do not let it brown.
- 3
Cook the prawns. Raise the heat to medium, add the prawns in one layer and cook 2 minutes. Turn and cook 1-2 minutes more until pink and opaque all the way through (63 °C).
- 4
Finish. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and lemon juice.
- 5
Serve. Serve sizzling from the pan with bread to dip in the garlic oil.
Storage
Best eaten straight away. Refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour, eat within 1 day and reheat until piping hot (74 °C).
Why this label?
41.1 g protein for 595 kcal = 6.9 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 28% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 1.4 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 183 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
2.4 g per serving
4.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 9.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large bowl
- kitchen paper
- 30 cm cast-iron or heavy frying pan (or a terracotta cazuela)
- tongs
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 595 kcal |
| Protein | 41.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.6 g |
| of which sugars | 2.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.4 g |
| Fat | 35.9 g |
| of which saturates | 5.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 2.01 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.9 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
