[Review] Bodega 1900, Barcelona

When Aer Lingus told us that they were cancelling our planned flights to Porto, I was very disappointed. I had been immensely looking forward to visiting the port houses in the Vila Nova de Gaia district and sampling a few fine ports while sitting on the banks of the river Duoro. To compensate, Aer Lingus did offer several rebooking options (at no extra charge!) and so we found ourselves back in Barcelona. 

The last time we had visited Barcelona, I had tried to get a reservation in one of Ferran Adria's locations, but I was not successful. This time out though, I secured a reservation at Bodega 1900, a relaxed tapas and vermouth (or vermut) bar, with a focus on traditional recipes, prepared from a modern perspective. 

And, oh boy, did Bodega 1900 deliver. From the minute we walked through the narrow green doors, I felt at home. It's gloriously traditional, with lino on the flooring and cupboards lining the walls. Pictures from the history of Bulli line the walls in fantastic disarray. But despite all this, you catch glimpses of waiters using fine kitchen tweezers to delicately position meats on boards, and suddenly you feel that there might be something else going on. 

Spherified "olives"

[Review] Boqueria, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7

UPDATE: Boquera has since left its Stoneybatter location and moved north to 30 Church Street, Howth. 

Inspired by the world famous "La Boqueria" market in Barcelona, the newly opened Boqueria Tapas and Gastro restaurant in Stoneybatter promises to deliver dishes made from locally sourced ingredients cooked with love. The man in the kitchen is chef Matt Fuller, who has spent time cooking in Ireland at L'Ecrivain, Salon des Saveurs (one of the few restaurants I miss in Dublin) and Citron at the Fitzwilliam, as well as spending several years cooking in Valencia, Spain, where it's said that Ferran Adria was quite a fan.

We had arranged to meet several family members for Saturday dinner at Boqueria and, as our taxi headed across the river Liffey and up through Stoneybatter, I wondered if we would be getting tapas or tapas concept. The first thing I learned is that Boqueria is already proving very popular with diners being turned away due to no space at the inn, although several were able to return later in the evening when tables had emptied. The second thing I learned is that the dining room is attractively clean and simple, with cream walls and bright chairs. The third thing I learned is that the menu reads wonderfully well, with an equally imaginative wine list. 

With 6 of us at the table, we ended up ordering a substantial amount of dishes from the menu. Interestingly, we weren't allowed order for a short while, in order to give the kitchen time to process the existing orders. In order to keep us occupied, we ordered bowls of olives (€3.50) and baskets of bread with flavoured butters and wonderful olive oil (€4.50), along with a superb Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva (€48) and a Louro de Bolo Godello (€39).  

2oz Dexter beef burger

Lamb belly with Manchego cheese 

Pork cheeks with caramelised pineapple

After a short while, our dishes started to flow from the kitchen.  Crispy cubes of fried potato were artfully arranged on a slate platter with stripes of spicy tomato sauce and dots of roast garlic mayo (€5.00). The perfect presentation on this simple dish indicated that we were dealing with a kitchen that was aiming for more than just good. Irish rare breed pork cheeks were cleverly paired with tangy caramelised pineapple (€7.00) while a mini burger made from Dexter beef came with a small portion of chunky chips (€5.50). Goatsbridge rainbow trout starred in a vibrant bright dish with fennel velouté and fruit salad (€7.50) while the humble mackerel was enhanced by apple and fennel salad (€6.50). 

The intriguing lamb belly "San Jacobo" with manchego cheese (lamb with cheese!) had to be ordered and arrived as breaded portions of soft lamb and melting cheese (€7.50). A sublime pea risotto was a perfect shade of gentle green topped with shreds of smoked pork belly (€6.50) and perfect scallops came with delicious tarragon rosti and muted passion fruit (€12.00). There were many more dishes enjoyed and savoured, but I think you get the picture. 

Barrel chips with tomato sauce and garlic mayo

Pea risotto with smoked pork belly

Cured Goatsbridge rainbow trout with fennel velouté and fruit

Chargrilled tuna with pistachio and mango

The dessert menu is equally tempting with standout dishes such as a tantalising strawberry and basil soup (€7.50) and a wonderful combination of chocolate mousse, bright olive oil and flakes of crunchy sea salt (€7.50). Unfortunately, there was no sweet wine selection when we dined, but I am told that a selection will be available shortly. If the main wine menu is any indicator, I'm already looking forward. 

Mel y mato with fresh fruit

Chocolate mousse with olive oil and candied bread

The word "tapas" has definitely been enthusiastically embraced by the restaurant industry lately. Tapas now rarely means small Spanish dishes, but instead it is now used largely to mean small plates and food designed for mixing and sharing. How many times have you been faced with an enthusiastic waiter who has offered to explain the restaurant concept to you, only for him to start with the now-dreaded words "Our food is served tapas style…."? Sigh…

Boqueria isn't traditional tapas; there are no pintxos, sardines or bits of toasty bread here. It's what I call tapas-style dining, but also very much influenced by traditional tapas and Spanish cooking. It's thoroughly classy, which is no surprise given the pedigree of the chef. But it's also enhanced by the friendliness and chattiness of the superb staff who clearly enjoy working there. Post-dinner analysis on the way home was of the opinion that we had just dined in a standout spot. 

My single regret is that I think that having 6 of us gathered around the table was just too much. Everybody wanted a bit of everything, which largely meant that no one got to have enough of any one thing. Some dishes were vigorously defended from intruding forks, but I think that the best way forward is to visit as part of a couple or smaller group. In my mind, there's no doubt about it, this is going to be a hot restaurant for 2015. Get there while you still can. 

Boqueria, 3 Prussia Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
Tel: +353 (0)1 868 3575
URL: www.boqueria.ie
Twitter: @BoqueriaDublin
Instagram: @boqueriadublin

[Review] La Bodega, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Some Sundays are made for roast dinners and some Sundays are made for snacking. As we strolled up Ranelagh, heading northwards, we were definitely in the mood for grazing and a cleverly positioned blackboard advertising an outdoors heated terrace at La Bodega proved the snare.

We've been to La Bodega several times and while I like the comfortably darkened interior with its mismatched seating, a summer Sunday evening felt more suitable to eating al fresco. On Sundays, live guitar music fills the dining room, gently wrapping the diners in the magic of Spain. The corridor out to the terrace passes the kitchen area but then opens up in a lovely area with raised decking, faux grass, fairy lights and lanterns. Baskets of rugs are positioned around the space so that diners can wrap themselves up when evenings get too cold. 

The outdoor heated terrace at La Bodega

The menu at La Bodega is pretty typical tapas fare and we ordered with gusto. A generous portion of Garbanzas con morcilla (chickpeas cooked with Spanish black pudding €6.50) kicked us off, quickly followed by my favourite patatas bravas (deep fried cubes of potato with spicy sauce €5.00). 

Other dishes followed in swift succession from the kitchen including pan Catalan (crunchy bread rubbed with tomato and topped with thick jamon €5.00) and another vegetarian favourite habas con jamon (pan-fried broad beans with jamon €6.00). Our little feast was rounded out by a portion of gambas al ajillo (prawns fried with garlic €7.95), with additional bread ordered from the kitchen for soaking up of the tasty juices.

Garbanzas con morcilla 

Pan Catalan

Patatas bravas

Habas con Jamón

Gambas con ajillo

It's been a long time since I was in Madrid, but when I saw the traditional dish of churros served with liquid dark chocolate, I was hooked (€6.00). Freshly fried sticks of dough, coated in granulated sugar and dipped into slightly bitter chocolate is an experience everyone should try at least once. It's a recipe for diabetic disaster, but once every so often won't hurt, right?

Churros con chocolate

It's worth mentioning that many of the tapas at La Bodega are available in two sizes, the regular size and the larger racion. I personally found the regular size to be more than enough, so I'd recommend reserving the racion portions for the hungrier days.

Any restaurant that survives for a length of time in Ranelagh is clearly doing something right. While not wildly exciting in its selection of tapas, La Bodega produces a solid, tasty selection of classic tapas, topped up with live guitar music and a comfortable interior. The new heated terrace will have the dual effect of increasing dining space while offering an attractive option for wine on a summer evening. Viva la España!

La Bodega, 93 Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Tel: +353 (0)1 497 5577
URL: www.labodega.ie
Twitter: @labodegaranelag

[Review] The Little Yard, Georges Street, Wexford

On a weekend trip to Wexford, we came across the Little Yard. It's a recently opened tapas and wine bar to the rear of the established Yard restaurant. As we had been merrily drinking cocktails, we were somewhat late getting out for dinner and as a result, the main wave of evening diners had already been and gone. The Little Yard is very cosy, with a mixed bag of old tables, tealight candles and comfy cushions. I'm guessing that it operates as a cafe-type location during the day, and is repurposed as a tapas venue during the night, somewhat like Brioche Cafe in Dublin. 

Candlelit table at the Little Yard

The menu is short, with a selection of "classic" tapas, but it's the pricing that really stands out. It's refreshingly good value, which is something that I don't often associate with towns outside of Dublin. Some tourist towns really know how to charge. We agreed to order several dishes to get us going, with the caveat that we could always order more later.

We settled on a mix of items, starting with a generous cheese platter (€6.95) with salted almonds and capers scattered on top. Gambas a la plancha (€6.95), or whole grilled prawns, were overcooked but tasty.  The daily special of pan-seared scallops came complete with the liverlike rosy coral, a feature that I quite like. Served on a bed of juicy samphire, the scallops were a knockout dish. Spicy baked eggs with chorizo and chickpea stew were served in an adorable mini cast-iron pot (€5.50) while little cubes of patatas bravas (€4.50) were crispy on the outside, yet fluffy on the inside. 

The Little Yard also fashionably serves a selection of Irish craft beers and ciders, which are a great accompaniment to all the little dishes. As a result, I enjoyed my first bottle of Orpens Irish cider, while he chose from the Dungarvan Brewing Company range. 

Queso - cheese platter

Gambas a la plancha

Special - seared scallops served with samphire

Heuvos fritos con chorizo - baked eggs with chorizo & chickpea stew

In short, the Little Yard is excellent value with tasty plates in a cute and charming setting. Sometimes it's nice to be able to grab a few small dishes rather than a full sitdown menu. But there was one final detail that nailed my approval of the Little Yard. At the end of our meal, we received a voucher for two free glasses of bubbly in the lovely nearby T. Morris pub. Perhaps it's a very clever scheme designed to keep diners in town, but I wasn't complaining.

The Little Yard, 3 Lower George's Street, Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 914 4083
URL: www.theyard.ie/little_yard
Twitter: @TheYardWex

[Event] Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2013

One of the best value events to hit Dublin in recent years has been the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail. I attended the very first trail in 2011, which turned out to be both great fun and educational. Since then, the event has continued to prove popular, and this year it has expanded to include the fine city of Cork. 

Last Sunday I re-joined the Tapas Trail, starting with a reception in basement wine bar Bagots Hutton. This little corker of a venue is the continuation of a business which was started in 1829 and ran for 150 years before closing down in the 1980s. Owners Giovanni & Brian have bought the name back to life, including the excavation of underground tunnels which originally linked Bagots Hutton to the George's Street Arcade. Lit only by candlelight, these secret tunnels are surprisingly cosy. We rolled out of Bagots Hutton, fueled by an impressive spread of tapas and several glasses of Campo Viejo Reserva and Cava.

Inside Bagots Hutton

Tapas at Bagots Hutton

From South William Street, we walked to the Market Bar on Fade Street, although I would have much preferred to take the more historic subterranean route from Bagots Hutton. Here, we were plied with more Campo Viejo Reserva (are you seeing a theme yet?) along with portions of chicken and chorizo skewers, patatas bravas and finally a tasty rocket, feta and chorizo salad. 

Chorizo and feta salad at the Market Bar

At the Market Bar

We left the Market Bar through a rear entrance which bought us out into the middle of George's Street Market Arcade, showing yet another example of the hidden Dublin. Outside on the pavement, our guide detailed the history of the Arcade, which opened in 1881 in the middle of a furore around the lack of involvement of native Dubliners in the project. The market burned down in 1892, but this time, the rebuilding project was far more inclusive.

Outside George's Street Market Arcade

Tortilla tapas at Havana

We continued on to Havana tapas bar on George's Street where we were treated to yet another three tapas and some impressive Spanish from a San Sebastian native. Our insight into the historic Dublin continued as we learned that Havana is situated on the former sight of the Pims department store. For some insane reason, this gracious building which featured tall display windows was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the current hideous concrete office building. We stopped briefly outside St Andrew's Church to get some gossip on the romantic life of Dean Johnathan Swift, before heading to our final stop at Salamanca. Here, we received another warm welcome along with a tasty crema catalana and several more glasses of Campo Viejo. 

Having twice been on the trail, I really do think that the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail offers great value for money. With tapas, wine and an entertaining look at Dublin's history available for just €20 per ticket , it's a fun few hours around our great capital. I must get myself to the Cork version next year to see how the magic translates to my home city. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/campoviejoireland or www.campoviejotapastrail.ie.

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary pair of tickets to the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail. All thoughts are my own.

[Listing] Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2013

The Campo Viejo Tapas Trail has been great value since it launched 2 years ago in Dublin. For a pretty reasonable €20 per head, ticket holders get a walking tour of Dublin, as well as enjoying a selection of tapas and Campo Viejo wines at a selection of tapas bars. Inhabitants of Da Real Capital can also join in the fun this year, as the Tapas Trail will now also include Cork! You can read about my 2011 Tapas Trail experience here, or read below for more information...

Throughout the months of May to July, food and wine enthusiasts can enjoy the culinary culture of Spanish tapas and discover the true passion, generosity and vibrancy of Spain on the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail which will run from 8^th May to 5^th June in Cork and from 9^th June to 17^th July in Dublin. 

Inspired by the Spanish way of life and Campo Viejo’s mantra of ‘stimulating a more expressive world’, the Tapas Trail will this year bring Spain’s expressiveness and vibrancy to the streets of Dublin and Cork through urban art.   In an exciting new collaboration with renowned Irish urban artists, Psychonautes and Fatti Burke, Campo Viejo will capture Spain’s colourful culture and passion for living through bespoke installations which can be seen and enjoyed during the Tapas Trail.  Urban art features heavily in contemporary Spanish culture, with Madrid often considered the spiritual home of urban art, making it the perfect complement to the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2013. 

Now an annual celebration of the best of Spanish cuisine and wine, the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail allows participants to enjoy the unique colourful social experience of going from eatery to eatery and sharing a selection of authentic Spanish tapas cuisine, while experiencing  the vibrancy of Spain right on their own doorstep.  

Tickets for the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail are priced at €20 with the trail taking place each Wednesday between 6.30pm and 9.00pm and each Sunday between 2.00pm and 4.30pm (excluding Sunday 2^nd June in Cork) in participating restaurants in Dublin and Cork. During the event, participants will visit four top tapas restaurants in Dublin and Cork where they will be presented with the venue’s best three tapas specially created to complement the well balanced, tasty and round, full flavours associated with Campo Viejo Reserva.  Participants will also enjoy a glass of Campo Viejo Reserva in each restaurant. Dublin restaurants include; Salamanca, St. Andrews St., Havana Tapas Bar, Georges St., The Market Bar, Fade St. and Bagots Hutton, South William Street while participating Cork restaurants are; Arthur Mayne's, Pembroke St., Electric, South Mall, The Cornstore, Cornmarket St. and Oysters, Lapps Quay. 

80 people can participate on the trail during each session. They will be split up into four groups of 20; each group will be assigned a different route, starting from different restaurants and work their way around the trail. Hosts will guide participants on the trail educating them on the importance of the Rioja region and describing Campo Viejo’s unique characteristics. For further information and to purchase tickets, priced at €20 per person, log onto www.facebook.com/campoviejoireland or www.campoviejotapastrail.ie.  

[Review] El Toro Bravo, Portobello, Dublin 2

Sometimes when eating out, you desire lots of little things. You want to be a butterfly, flying daintily from dish to dish, grazing from each, before moving on to the next tempting bite. When you feel like this, there is no better cuisine than Spanish tapas. Whenever we go for tapas, we always order our favourites dishes of patatas bravas and garlic prawns, but I'm always on the lookout for dishes that are a little different. 

El Toro Bravo is a relatively new restaurant on Dublin's South Richmond Street. This area is slowly improving and becoming a decent destination for a casual night out. You can have a pint in a proper pub at O'Connells, or eat at Rotana, Seagrass or even Kebabish Original. I've eaten at El Toro Bravo before, but didn't write about it. However, on a more recent visit, we sampled a good range of dishes, and hence plenty of photos. The interior is all dark wood with simple tables and chairs and it felt a little cold to me. We managed to get one of the more isolated tables, giving us a little space in this small room.

Pan con Jamón was for him (€4.00) featuring two slices of toasted bread rubbed with garlic and tomato topped with slices of Iberian ham. I really love the Spanish version of black pudding, so I ordered reveulto de morcilla leonesa, or scrambled eggs with morcilla, served atop a potato nest (€6.00). The eggs were a little too scrambled and dry for my liking, but the portion was generous and the advertised nest of potato strips added some nice bulk to the dish. Chistorra or pan-fried spicy pork sausages, were delicious, spiked with smoky paprika flavour (€5.00).  A large disc of goat's cheese (queso de cabra) was served warm, topped with a double whammy of onion marmalade and carmelised onions on more potato nest (€5.75)

Clockwise from top left: scrambled eggs with morcilla, pan con jamon, goat's cheese with onions and spicy Spanish sausages 

The patatas bravas, fried potato pieces with spicy tomato sauce, were at the expected standard (€4.50), while gambas al ajilo rounded out the savoury section of our meal (€7.15). This generous bowl of garlicky prawns hit all the right notes. We completed our meal with two desserts from the chalkboard offering of homemade desserts, several of which were advertised as being gluten-free. In my case, I had the tarta de Santiago, a marzipan-like almond cake while himself chose the somewhat pedestrian cheesecake. 

Clockwise from top left: Patatas bravas, gambas  al aijilo, cheesecake and tarta de Santiago

El Toro Bravo strikes me as a neighbourhood joint, a place to get a Spanish fix without getting all dolled up for the trip to fancier places in town. Occasional live flamenco and Spanish music adds atmosphere, while there is outside seating for those sunnier days. El Toro Bravo often runs deals in conjunction with daily deal websites, so it's possible to eat here at a very decent price. Just don't expect too much fanciness for that decent price. 

El Toro Bravo, 27 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 (0)1 475 8460
URL: eltorobravo.weebly.com
Twitter: @torobravodublin

Tapas 24, Barcelona

Last April, we spent a fantastic few days in Barcelona. Part of that holiday involved a trip to the amazing restaurant Comerç 24, which is just one part of Projectes 24 from chef Carles Abellán. We were delighted to find that Tapas 24 was located just across the street from our hotel on Career de la Diputació. April has come and passed, and it is now August. But I still want to share Tapas 24 with you. It's simply that good.

Tapas 24 is a basement restaurant, where every possible work surface is utilized to hold fresh market produce or assemble dishes. Tables and benches come sized "small" and we often saw queues of people back out the stairs and up onto the street. The serving staff are a mixture of traditional Barcelona waiters and shiny cool hipsters, all dressed alike in the old-fashioned white waiters jackets that are so common in Barcelona. Chalkboards heave with all the dishes and specials on offer, and it's exciting just to sit and watch. In short, it's so cool that it hurts.

Tapas 24 Street Exterior

Our first meal at Tapas 24 was at street level, outside the entrance, tucked under street heaters. Hence, all my photos took on a warm, orange hue. Everything at Tapas 24 shrieks cool, from the typeset menu and place settings, right down to our Freddie Mercury lookalike hipster waiter who ran up and down the stairs, bringing us cava and many little plates of things. 

Tapas 24 has many dishes to sample, once you get used to the Catalan spelling. My limited Spanish vocabulary wasn't quite up the job. We tried their signature ham & cheese toastie, better known as the Bikini 24. This is no common toastie, but is a delicate, crustless thing made with jamon iberico, mozzarella and black truffle. The McFoie Burgeur is another signature dish, where the patty is a tartare-type mix of beef and foie gras, served in a thin, crispy bun. A quirky cheeky tribute to the golden arches.

But perhaps the best was yet to come at Tapas 24. A dish of Xocolata consisted of three uber-creamy scoops of chocolate ganache, drizzled with olive oil and topped with a few delicate flakes of sea-salt. My sepia-toned nighttime photos doesn't do this amazing dish justice. I would gladly fly back to Barcelona tomorrow morning for another plate. Hell, I would even consider walking to Barcelona if I knew this was waiting for me as I turned onto Passeig de Gràcia.

Bikini Comerç 24 - Tostado de jamon y queso

McFoie Burgeur

Xocolata - chocolate ganache with olive oil and sea salt

Tapas 24 is one of those places to which gluttons like us keep on returning. Having indulged with foie gras burgers and truffled toasted sandwiches, we found ourselves back there the very next morning for breakfast.  I fuelled up with a large plate of Ous Estrellats amb Patates amb Botifarra Negra. In simpler terms this was a plate of fried cubed potatoes, topped with "smashed eggs" and black pudding pieces. Himself ordered the Truita de Trempó, a pancake shaped omelette with potatoes and chorizo with an oozing egg yolk middle. A trip to Barcelona is not complete without sampling Pa amb Tomàquet, a simple Catalan side dish of grilled bread rubbed with tomatoes. When done well, it's downright addictive and amazingly intense.

Truita de trempo

Ous estrellats amb patates amb botifarra negra

Pa amb tomàquet (tomato bread)

Tapas 24, Carrer de la Diputació 269,  08007 Barcelona

Tel: +34 934 88 09 77

Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2012

Last year, I won two tickets to the first Campo Viejo Tapas Trail, courtesy of the Irish Food Bloggers Association. Our trip turned out to be a wonderful experience, where we sampled the very best of Spanish tapas available in our fair city. It wasn't all just about the tapas, as some flamenco dancing, guitar music and a guided walking tour of Dublin was also thrown in. You can read more about my Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2011 experience here. While my tickets were gratis, the most amazing part about this experience was the low cost of the tickets, costing a mere €20.

Vibrant paella at Salamaca (Tapas Trail 2011)

The good news is that the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail is returning in 2012, with some dates already sold out. The tickets continue to cost a paltry €20 per head, and will take in Salamanca, Salamanca Fusion, Havana Tapas Bar and The Market Bar. Each restaurant will present their three best tapas for your enjoyment, alongside a measure of Campo Viejo Reserva (delicious stuff). To bring the vibrancy of Spain to life, guests will be treated to a mix of Spanish-themed entertainment.

Flamenco dancing at Salamanca (2011 Tapas Trail)

The Campo Viejo Tapas Trail will take place each Wednesday (6.30 - 9.00 pm) and Sunday (2.00 - 4.30 pm) between June 27th and August 19th. Each trail will have 80 places. Guests will be split into 4 groups, each starting at a different restaurant, and working their way around the trail. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit www.facebook.com/campoviejoireland or www.campoviejotapastrail.com.

Gambas Pil Pil

Recently I've been eating low-carb. This is in an effort to knock off some weight, which I could frankly well afford to do. Several years ago I successfully lost 12-13 kg on a low-carb diet with lots of taekwon do training and kept it off for a few years. Then I moved to Dublin and started work as a consultant. Irregular hours, lots of travel, bad canteens and an eye injury meant that I stopped exercising and the weight crept back on. So, I'm back on the low-carb wagon and I'm running again. I'm only at at the start, but I already feel much more energetic. I do low-carb 6.5 days of the week, with one carby meal a week. I think this is psychologically as well as nutritionally important.

As any low-carb follower will tell you, eating out can be a challenge. I have ended up in canteens with the weirdest combinations of food - sometimes boiled broccoli from the hot counter with rocket and ham slices from the salad counter. My current work assignment has ZERO low-carb suitable options at breakfast time. So where's good to go when low-carbing?

Well, one clear option is tapas. I've been to Port House Ibericos in Dundrum twice recently, and both times I had the Gambas Pil Pil or basically prawns served in a garlic & chili oil. Plump juicy prawns that you can dip into the garlicky oil, what's not to love? Today, while shopping, I picked up some raw, peeled prawns and I decided to make Gambas Pil Pil at home. It's really easy, but the secret is to take your time and not overheat the oil. The results are amazing. I've listed quanities below, but don't get hung up on the measurements. I used 140g of prawns because that was the pack size I purchased.

I use a lot of garlic in my version, because that's the way I like it. Feel free to adjust to your own tastes. One word - the traditional recipe uses parsley, which I don't personally like, so I've omitted it. However, feel free to add some finely chopped parsley if that floats your boat. Pimenton, or smoked paprika, adds a real Spanish flavour of smokiness and warmth to the dish. It's readily obtainable in any good food shop and makes a valuable addition to any spice shelf.

Gambas Pil Pil and assorted snacks

Ingredients

140g raw prawns, peeled

6-7 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

1/2 red chili, finely chopped

1 knob butter

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika)

Lots of olive oil

Sea salt (flakes are best)

The first thing required is to remove the prawns from their packaging and place them in a bowl along with some salt. This is not to add flavour, but instead to draw out some moisture from the prawns. Otherwise, when later placed in the oil, the water will leach out causing the prawns to boil rather than fry. Leave them to sit while preparing the oil.

Put a small skillet or heavy pan on a low-heat. Pour in lots of olive oil. The idea is that the prawns will sit in the oil and cook that way, rather than shallow-frying. As the oil warms up, add the knob of butter. I do this because it helps me see how hot the oil is getting. Reserve about one clove of garlic and a little chili. Once the butter has melted, add all the remaining garlic, chili and pimenton to the oil. They should be sizzling gently. The idea is to cook the garlic and chili very gently in the oil, so that it absorbs all the flavour. If the garlic shows any sign of browning, remove the oil from the heat until it is cooler. Allow the oil to infuse for approx 10 mins. Stir frequently and taste occasionally to see how the flavour is developing.

Place the prawns on kitchen paper and pat dry. Once ready, turn the heat up under the oil, stir in the reserved garlic and chili, then drop in the prawns one by one. Depending on the size, they should take no more than 2.5 - 3 minutes to cook. Serve either in the skillet or remove to a dish along with plenty of the tasty oil. Add a light sprinkle of sea salt and some crusty slices of bread for the people who are not low-carbing. Enjoy!

You may find that you won't eat or use all the oil. But this oil can be reused to cook more prawns, or reserved for use in a salad dressing.