Gambas al Ajillo

Madrid and Andalusia, Spain

Gambas al ajillo is one of Spain's most immediate and honest dishes: whole prawns tossed in a terracotta casserole of searing olive oil with sliced garlic, dried chilli, and a splash of dry sherry, then served still spitting in the dish with bread mandatory for the oil. The technique centres on controlled heat: the oil must be hot enough to sizzle the moment the garlic enters, cooking it to golden-blond before the prawns go in, then reducing heat to allow the shellfish to cook through in the perfumed oil without toughening. Spanish convention dictates shell-on prawns — the shell insulates the flesh from the aggressive heat and contributes gelatine and flavour to the oil. The dish is served in the earthenware cazuela it was cooked in, arriving at the table still bubbling.

Pan juices served with crusty sourdough is the canonical vehicle; a cold glass of fino sherry or dry albariño provides the necessary acid and salinity to match the ocean sweetness of the prawns.