Bilbao-style anchovies with prawns

With little more than some good boquerones, a bit of garlic, oil and prawns, you can prepare boquerones a la bilbaína which are a true delicacy. This recipe of anchovies with prawns brought to us by Carmen (author of Yerbabuena en la cocina) is very tasty, healthy and easy to prepare. It's an ideal recipe for these summer days — don't miss trying it because you'll be a hit!

De Buyer Affinity stainless steel frying pan

As many of us are already on holiday, I wanted to prepare a recipe free of any complication, but with the guarantee provided by its Basque origin, since this is a time to enjoy the things we can't during the rest of the year: to travel, to go out to the countryside with the children, to splash in the sea or the pool, to stroll, to share with friends or simply to let ourselves be carried away by the pleasure of dolcefarniente.

But that doesn't mean we should give up eating delicious and healthy food. We are in the midst of oily fish season and we mustn't forget that it provides endless health benefits, since by containing Omega 3 it helps regulate blood pressure and this, in turn, reduces the risk of myocardial infarction. Moreover, its rational consumption has beneficial effects on the circulatory system and the prevention of arthritis.

For these reasons, I encourage you to eat oily fish, among which boquerones must not be missing; delicious in any form, they can be served both as a main course and, as in this case, as a starter or tapa with a slice of toast and a good, well-chilled white wine.

Are you up for it? Basically you'll only need some good boquerones from the Cantabrian Sea, a few minutes to prepare them, extra virgin olive oil and a frying pan as extraordinary as the De Buyer Affinity, which with its seven layers of stainless steel on both the base and the walls allows heat to distribute evenly and improves the cooking of foods.

Ingredients

• 500 gr of plump boquerones from the Cantabrian Sea
• 200 gr of fresh prawns
• 3 garlic cloves
• One small chili pepper
• Parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• A splash of vinegar
• Salt
• Toasted bread

In the photo, De Buyer Affinity stainless steel frying pan and Emile Henry ceramic mortar

Preparation

1. We wash the boquerones very well, remove the head and the entrails, dry them and place them on a tray. Salt them. Preheat the oven to 180º and put in the boquerones; bake around 5 minutes or until we see they are done. Remove and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a frying pan with a stream of extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic, and when it starts to sizzle, add the prawns and the rings of chili pepper.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and add the vinegar and the chopped parsley. Pour over the reserved boquerones. Serve immediately, accompanied by toasted bread.