Great seafood starts the second it comes out of the water, the longer it lingers the less it’s worth considering! So, to experience seafood at it’s total tip top best you need, need, need to get up early in the morning, get to the harbour and talk to the lads stepping off the boats at 4am…simple as that.

Now, that’s all well and good me spouting about getting to the boats, I can do that, I live a few miles from the coast but what do you do if you can’t? Well, if you can, find a Fishmonger…now that’s not so easy these days with monster Supermarkets kickin’ small craft traders asses with (in my opinion) sub-standard product….but if you do have access to a local independent Fishmonger please, please support them…at the end of the day if you want quality this is where you will get it.

WHAT YOU NEED – serving 2

8-10 giant Tiger prawns / Gambas peeled and veined

2-3 table spoons of chili oil (Piri-Piri is great or this)

Glug of olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic minced well

salt and cracked black pepper

2 spring onions shredded

Chive

lemon Juice

HOW YOU DO IT:

This is a dish that needs to either be eaten straight from the pan it’s cooked in with a beer or at the very least eaten within seconds of it hitting your plate…don’t hang around!

Step1: Kick off by getting a wide pan on the heat, in with the oil and garlic and spring onion – you want to ‘crisp’ the onion then remove it from the pan just before it burns, it will add a little sweetness and texture when it goes back in with the prawns.

Step2: Sling the Chili oil into the pan and get it smokin’ hot then in with you prawns, season and keep moving constantly around the pan. At this stage feel free to sling in some booze, Japanese rice wine works pretty well, flame it.

Step3: The prawns will only take about 3-4 minutes – look for a nice charred appearance. Sling in the onions, season and then finish with a big squeeze of lemon and a scattering of chive.

If you’re feelin’ brave then season again with more chilli oil – serve with hunks of crusty bread!