Whilst chatting to my lovely friend Jimena about this recipe, she was saying it was not really an everyday dish. She wouldn´t make it because she doesn´t have Cognac at home, and certainly not caviar. If you don´t have Cognac, you can flambé with other spirits, such as rum. And if the idea of flambéing puts you off altogether, you don´t have to do it (it just adds something to the flavour). It´s true that we don´t eat caviar everyday at home (far from it), but the small jar that I found was pretty cheap, and I think it adds a nice finish to the dish (feel free to omit the caviar too)!

This quick, easy starter always goes down well with our guests, and doesn´t take much time or effort to cook. These small red prawns are quite common here in Cataluña but they actually come from Andalusia. They are full of fantastic flavour and we found that around 75g per person was enough as an appetizer.

Why make this dish?

As well as prawns being full of nutrients, they are a great source of protein. They contain high levels of vitamin D, vitamin B3 and zinc. They also contain high levels of the antioxidant Selenium (which boosts the immune system amongst other things).

Method:

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the prawns with chopped garlic (for a few minutes).

Add a shot of Cognac to the pan to flambé them. BE CAREFUL! When you add the spirits there is a sudden burst of flames, and I don´t want any of you good people to burn yourselves! After 30 seconds, sprinkle with parsley and serve straight away.

I served them with some spicy lime sauce, caviar and some sprouts for decoration and a little crunch.