I often wonder who the first cook was who decided to add a handful of chopped garlic to a pan of frying fish, prawns, calamari or mussels because seafood and garlic is a match made in heaven. Today's dish of succulent prawns coated in a rich garlic butter sauce is one of the tastiest seafood dishes I know.

What is so nice about cooking most seafood varieties is that it is so easy and logical to work with because all you have to remember is never to overcook and not to add too many spices to steal the thunder of the main ingredient – as the Italians love to say "allow the food to speak for itself".

Enjoying seafood is like popping a bottle of bubbly because it always feels like a special occasion. It's always fun, particularly if you eat the prawns, calamari or mussels with your fingers and use crusty bread to soak up the delicious pan juices… and there is lots of it in today's recipe!

To serve four portions of garlic butter prawns you need:

Ingredients

12-20 cleaned but unshelled prawns (depending on size – for this dish bigger prawns work better)

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

140g butter

¾ cup chives or garlic chives, coarsely chopped

½ glass of white wine

Method

Heat a large frying pan or wok and melt about a third of the butter in the pan.

Add the prawns and give them a good twirl of coarse sea salt.

Fry over medium heat and turn until both side start to blister.

Add the remaining butter, garlic and wine, turn prawns to coat them well and gently fry for about two minutes and remove from heat.

Sprinkle with chives just before serving.

These prawns look great served at the table straight from of the pan, but then some naughty person usually steals all the lovely buttery sauce so rather divide into four pasta dishes and spoon liberally with the sauce.

Serve with crusty bread and/or basmati rice and crispy potato wedges and don’t forget the finger bowls and the chilled white wine.

Footnote: If you like it hot chop up a fresh chilli or two and add it to the prawns when you add the garlic.

Wine recommendation

Koelfontein Chardonnay 2010 – Ceres – R90.00

Rich mélange of lime, citrus fruit on the nose with classic toasty flavours on the palate leading to a long creamy finish.

To order, email Wine Concepts