Gambas al ajillo

1. step 1
2. Peel the prawns, leaving the tails intact, and, using a cocktail stick, remove the digestive tracts. Or, if you are using a frying pan rather than a terracotta pot, you can cook the prawns in their shells. Season with a little sea salt.
3. step 2
4. Put the garlic, olive oil and chillies in a flameproof terracotta pot or frying pan and set over a high heat. When the garlic starts to turn golden, add the prawns and cook for 1-2 mins on each side until just pink. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and some freshly cracked black pepper, and serve immediately. If using a terracotta pot, you can take that straight to the table, but be careful with it as the oil and terracotta will remain hot for several minutes.
   1–2 minutes

Cooking notes

Scaling works best when you weigh ingredients rather than measure by volume — small differences in packing can compound at higher multipliers.

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When you scale this recipe up or down, remember that cooking time does not scale linearly. A doubled cake takes longer, but not twice as long; a doubled soup takes roughly twice as long. The cooking-time guide gives sensible starting estimates by dish geometry.