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1
Arrange the shell-on prawns in a single layer across the base of a terracotta cazuela. Do not crowd the vessel; if necessary, use two dishes. The prawns must lie flat without overlapping.
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2
Pour in the olive oil and set the cazuela over a medium flame. Add the sliced garlic and dried chilli to the cold oil. Warm gently for 30 seconds, allowing the shell's exterior proteins to set gradually before raising heat to full. The oil is ready when it shimmers and the garlic begins to release its fragrance.
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3
Continue cooking over high heat until the garlic reaches an even golden-blond. This is where the dish lives or dies: pale garlic remains pungent and acrid; dark garlic turns bitter and cannot be corrected. The colour must be uniform — pull the cazuela from direct heat for a moment if the edges are advancing faster than the centre.
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4
Add the prawns to the hot, garlic-perfumed oil. Cook, without disturbing, until the shells turn pink and opaque at the edges — the flesh visible at the head and tail will just begin to firm.
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5
Pour in the fino or manzanilla sherry. It will spatter immediately against the hot terracotta; this is correct. The sherry deglazes the cazuela and integrates the pan flavours. The smell shifts from raw alcohol to a rounded, nutty depth within seconds.
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6
Remove the cazuela from the heat. Season with flaky sea salt and rest for one minute, allowing carry-over heat to finish the prawns without the direct heat of the flame toughening the protein. The flesh at the thickest point of the prawn should be just opaque through to the centre when checked.
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7
Bring the cazuela directly to the table still bubbling in the cooking vessel. Bread must arrive at the same moment — the dish is not plated and must not be allowed to stop spitting before it reaches the guest.