Serves 2
20g extra virgin olive oil
2 chillies (hot or mild, to taste),
deseeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
200g raw, frozen peeled prawns,
defrosted
2 tbsp smoked paprika
10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 limes
Crusty bread, to serveOmar and Esther
Omar Elhajji from Morocco and
Esther Lopez from Spain met while
working at an argan oil cooperative
in the Atlas mountains. They moved
to Bristol two years ago; their shared
passion for food led to the launch of
Yumello, their range of nut butters
inspired by recipes from the Berber
village where Omar was raised.
Esther: “I was always by my mum’s
side at our kitchen in the south of
Spain, watching what she was
making. My mother cooks everything
from scratch. She has a small farm
with chickens, fig, lemon and orange
trees and she also grows vegetables
and tomatoes – she picks a lot of her
ingredients straight from the garden.
In Bristol we still always eat fresh food
and cook from scratch. Like in Spain
and Morocco, we tend to have our
main meal at lunchtime and make
several small dishes like the tapas
I enjoyed at home in the evening.
I don’t eat meat, so cook a lot of
vegetables and seafood like these
prawns, which are so quick and
simple and one of Omar’s favourites.
My top tip is to use the best
ingredients you can get, starting with
good olive oil (Spanish of course!),
and use a terracotta bowl to serve – it
helps keep the flavours in and gives
an authentic feel. In Spain we eat very
late in the evening – about 11pm – and
I’ve never liked it. That’s a tradition
I’ve happily left behind!”
1 Heat the olive oil and cook the
chillies and sliced garlic in a pan for
1–2 mins (low heat).
2 Add the prawns and sauté on a light
heat for 10 mins. Season with paprika
and a pinch of salt and add half the
chopped coriander. Cook until the
prawns have turned dark pink.
3 Sprinkle with the remaining
coriander and serve with lime wedges
and bread. This dish will keep,
covered, in the fridge for up to 1 day. »Esther’s gambas
al pil-pil“We tend to have our
main meal at lunchtime
and eat several tapas at
home in the evening”