Drunken Prawns (Prawns Nacional)

Serves 4-6

1 kg prawns with shells on but deveined

50 ml lemon juice

5 ml salt

10 ml peri-peri sauce (recipe below)

80 ml olive oil

2 bay leaves

5 ml paprika

10 ml garlic crushed

1 red chilli cut in to 1 cm pieces

50g butter

1 onion chopped

160 ml Portuguese beer (Super Bock or Sagres)

125 ml cream

Coriander or parsley for serving

Combine the lemon juice, salt, peri-peri sauce, bay leaves, paprika, garlic and chilli.

Rub into prawns and allow them to marinade for 30 to 60 minutes.

Melt the butter and fry the onion in a large pan until soft. Remove from pan.

Add the prawns to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes until the shell has crisped a bit.

Return onions to the pan with the prawns, stir in beer and cream and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and simmer sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is reduced and thickened.

Return the prawns and sprinkle with coriander or parsley.

Enjoy with a couple of ice-cold beers or a nice crisp Rose and thick crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Peri-peri Sauce

10g African red devil chillies, very finely chopped, or chilli paste

5 cloves garlic, crushed

25 ml finely chopped coriander

125 ml olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Zest of 1 lemon

Mix the ingredients together in a bottle and shake well.

Make the sauce and store it in the fridge; the flavour improves with age, reaching its peak at two weeks. DM