Hi! I'm Daen, the internet’s garlic and olive oil girl and the creator behind Daen’s Kitchen. I am a Mediterranean inspired home cook with Italian and Spanish roots, and I have built a community of over 8 million people who love simple yet impressive and delicious Mediterranean food. My cooking is all about big flavours, approachable recipes and the little foundations that make home cooking feel effortless. Expect lots of garlic confit, no knead focaccia, homemade breadcrumbs, one pot orzos, olive oil cakes and all the nostalgic dishes I grew up with.
Garlic + olive oil + prawns = my perfect recipe 🇪🇸
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Hello Reader, There are some recipes that feel like they were quite literally made for me, and Gambas al Ajillo is one of them. Prawns swimming in golden olive oil with LOTS of garlic, a little chilli and plenty of crusty bread for dipping. It’s simple Spanish cooking at its absolute best. My little trick is to buy prawns with their heads and shells still on because we are absolutely not throwing those away! I fry them in the olive oil first, which turns it this beautiful deep golden colour and infuses it with the most incredible prawn flavour. Then in goes the garlic (a lot, obviously), chilli and prawns. It’s incredibly simple, but when you start with really good ingredients and treat them properly, you don’t need to do much else.
I’ve also just uploaded a brand new long form video to YouTube where we make the whole dish together from start to finish. I show you exactly how I use those prawn shells to flavour the olive oil, take you through the recipe step by step and, of course, there is plenty of garlic involved. I’ve been loving making these longer videos because I actually get to slow down, chat to you and properly cook together. It feels a little more like you’re hanging out with me in my kitchen rather than watching a 60 second recipe fly past! So if you have 10 minutes, come and cook some Spanish garlic prawns with me.
And whatever you do, do not forget the bread. You’ll want it to mop up every last drop of that garlicky prawn infused olive oil. Love, Daen xoxo ✨ Join my Cookbook Club✨ |
Daen's Kitchen
Hi! I'm Daen, the internet’s garlic and olive oil girl and the creator behind Daen’s Kitchen. I am a Mediterranean inspired home cook with Italian and Spanish roots, and I have built a community of over 8 million people who love simple yet impressive and delicious Mediterranean food. My cooking is all about big flavours, approachable recipes and the little foundations that make home cooking feel effortless. Expect lots of garlic confit, no knead focaccia, homemade breadcrumbs, one pot orzos, olive oil cakes and all the nostalgic dishes I grew up with.
Hello Reader, It’s been a very busy week over here and I am feeling it! I’m tired, I don’t particularly feel like cooking anything complicated, and all I want for dinner is something warm and comforting... especially since it's still cold in Australia! So I’m making my Roasted Pumpkin & Garlic Pasta. It’s one of those recipes that feels like a big cosy hug in a bowl. The pumpkin and garlic roast until soft and caramelised, and then everything comes together into the creamiest pasta. I’m...
Hello Reader, It is well and truly soup season for us in Australia, and all I want right now are big bowls of something warm and comforting for dinner that makes me feel all cozy and fuzzy inside! So let me introduce you to Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup). This is such a simple, humble Spanish recipe made with lots of garlic (obviously), bread, paprika, stock and eggs. The bread soaks up all that beautiful garlicky broth, the paprika gives it so much warmth and flavour, and the eggs make it...
Hello Reader, When I think of potato salad, I don't think of mayonnaise. I think of my Spanish mum standing at the kitchen bench, dressing warm potatoes with good olive oil, red wine vinegar and plenty of salt while the steam still rose from the bowl. There was usually tuna, boiled eggs and parsley scattered throughout, and it would sit in the fridge until lunch where somehow it tasted even better. This is Patatas Aliñadas, a classic Spanish potato salad that I have been eating for as long as...