Chef Graziella
Anguilla Arrosto alla Comacchiese
The legendary roasted eel of Comacchio, where the brackish lagoons of the Po Delta have produced Italy's finest anguilla for two thousand years. Bay leaves, salt, fire. Nothing more.
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Gamberoni alla Griglia
Created by
The Adriatic's simplest seafood preparation: prawns split down the back, kissed by flame, and dressed with nothing more than oil, a whisper of garlic, and parsley. What you leave out matters.
Main Dishes
Italian
BBQ
Outdoor Dining
Dinner Party
20 min
Active Time
8 min cook•28 min total
Yield4 servings
There is no better test of a cook's restraint than gamberoni alla griglia. You take magnificent prawns, you split them, you grill them, and you dress them simply. That is all. If you cannot resist adding ingredients, you have missed the point entirely.
The garlic here is not the aggressive presence Americans expect. You warm sliced garlic in olive oil just until fragrant, then strain it out. What remains is perfume, not assault. The parsley is flat-leaf, always flat-leaf, chopped at the last moment so it stays bright. The lemon comes to the table whole, for guests to squeeze as they wish.
Fishing villages along the Adriatic have prepared prawns this way for generations. The fishermen knew that when the catch is impeccable, the cook's job is to step aside. You provide heat and seasoning. The prawn provides everything else.
Grilled prawns appear in coastal Italian cooking wherever the catch comes in fresh, from the Adriatic ports of the Veneto down to the fishing villages of Puglia and Sicily. The preparation predates written recipes because there is nothing to write down: fire, seafood, oil, salt. Roman fishermen fed themselves this way; their descendants do the same.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large head-on prawns or jumbo shrimp
Quantity
2 pounds (8-12 per pound)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/2 cup, plus more for brushing
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
sliced thin
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
3 tablespoons
chopped fine
flaky sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
lemons
Quantity
2
halved
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large head-on prawns or jumbo shrimp | 2 pounds (8-12 per pound) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/2 cup, plus more for brushing |
| garlic clovessliced thin | 4 |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped fine | 3 tablespoons |
| flaky sea salt | 1 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| lemonshalved | 2 |
Equipment Needed
- •Charcoal or gas grill
- •Kitchen shears
- •Long-handled tongs
- •Pastry brush for oiling
- •Small saucepan for the dressing
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the prawns
Using sharp kitchen shears, cut through the shell along the back of each prawn from head to tail, cutting about halfway into the flesh. Do not remove the shell. Do not remove the head. The shell protects the meat from the fierce heat and chars beautifully. Remove the dark vein and rinse the prawns briefly under cold water. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
Head-on prawns have superior flavor because the fat in the head bastes the meat as it cooks. If you can only find headless, the dish will still be good, but it will not be the same. - 2
Prepare the dressing
In a small saucepan, warm the olive oil over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and let it infuse for 3 to 4 minutes. The garlic should become fragrant and just begin to turn pale gold at the edges. Remove from heat immediately. Strain out and discard the garlic. Stir the chopped parsley into the warm oil. Set aside.
The garlic must not brown. Browned garlic turns bitter and will ruin everything. Watch it. The moment you smell that sweet, toasted aroma and see color at the edges, off the heat it goes. - 3
Heat the grill
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat. The grate should be so hot that you cannot hold your hand three inches above it for more than two seconds. Clean the grate thoroughly and oil it well. A dirty grate or insufficient heat means stuck prawns and torn flesh.
- 4
Season and oil the prawns
Place the split prawns on a sheet pan, cut side up. Brush generously with olive oil on both the shell side and the exposed flesh. Season the flesh with salt and pepper. Do this just before grilling. Salt draws moisture; you want them dry when they hit the grate.
- 5
Grill the prawns
Place the prawns on the grill shell-side down first. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes without moving them. The shells will char and blacken in spots. This is correct. Flip them flesh-side down and grill 2 to 3 minutes more. The flesh should be opaque throughout, pink and white, and just firm to the touch. Overcooked prawns are rubbery. The prawn tells you when it is done: the flesh pulls slightly from the shell and curls inward.
Do not press down on the prawns. Do not move them around. Let the heat do its work. Fussing with seafood on a grill leads only to disappointment. - 6
Dress and serve immediately
Transfer the prawns to a warm serving platter, flesh side up. Spoon the parsley-infused oil generously over the exposed flesh. Arrange the lemon halves around the platter. Serve immediately. There is no keeping grilled prawns warm. They go from perfect to overcooked in minutes. Invite your guests to use their hands, to squeeze lemon as they see fit, and to stop talking and start eating.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out prawns that smell of the sea, never of ammonia or iodine. If your fishmonger cannot provide this, find another fishmonger. The dish depends entirely on the quality of your prawns.
- •A grill basket makes turning easier but prevents the char marks that give this dish its character. Sacrifice convenience for flavor.
- •The shells are meant to be removed at the table by your guests. Provide finger bowls with lemon water and plenty of napkins. This is not delicate eating.
- •If grilling is not possible, a cast iron grill pan over the highest heat your stove can produce will suffice. Open your windows. There will be smoke.
Advance Preparation
- •The garlic-parsley oil can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it or the oil will solidify.
- •Prawns can be cleaned, split, and refrigerated up to 4 hours before cooking. Keep them very cold and pat dry again before grilling.
- •There is no reheating grilled prawns. Cook only what you will serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 165g)
Calories
350 calories
Total Fat
26 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
220 mg
Sodium
740 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
30 g
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