Guest chef: Luke Southwood

What’s for dinner tonight? Try this easy Spanish-style prawn, gazpacho and ham dish by Adelaide chef Luke Southwood.

Prawns with white gazpacho, jamon & muscat. Picture: Russell Millard

This is a combination that I can't let go of; it embodies what I love most about Spanish food. The ingredients are so simple but the end result is so complex. On the plate, this dish is like a symphony of texture, flavour and colour.

Prawns with white gazpacho, jamon & muscat

12 South Australian Gulf prawns, peeled, deveined, tails on

Olive oil

Butter

Salt and pepper

Fresh lemon juice

Six long, thin slices of Serrano ham (jamon serrano), roughly torn into strips

Small bunch muscatel grapes (or small red grapes) halved and de-seeded

Small bunch parsley, leaves chopped

White Gazpacho (Ajo Blanco)

100g whole blanched almonds

1 slice of plain bread (sourdough if possible), crusts removed, cut into small cubes and shallow-fried in olive oil until golden brown

1 small clove garlic, preferably local/organic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 good pinches sea salt

250ml cold water

50ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

15ml Spanish sherry vinegar

To make the gazpacho, put almonds, fried bread, garlic, salt and half the water into a jug blender and blend on high speed until it is a thick puree. Slowly add more water until it is a creamy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. With the blender running on low speed, add sherry vinegar and olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary. Pass through a fine sieve. Keep at room temperature until needed.

Season prawns with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add a knob of butter; when sizzling, quickly saute prawns for about 30 seconds on one side. Turn prawns over and saute for about 15 seconds on the other side. Remove pan from heat and squeeze fresh lemon juice over prawns while still hot. Take care:

the lemon juice may spit if the pan is still very hot. Allow prawns to rest in the pan with the juice for 30 seconds.

Place a pool of Ajo Blanco in four shallow bowls. Make a small mound of jamon in the centre.

Place prawns on top of jamon and garnish with halved grapes and freshly chopped parsley.

Serves 4

Guest chef Luke Southwood.

Luke Southwood is head chef at leading Adelaide restaurant Bistro Dom. His menu, with its focus on seafood and Mediterranean flavours, is influenced by his years working in Spain.