Prawns in pilpil sauce
Pilpil prawns are a true journey through Spanish gastronomy.
When visiting Malaga, you will probably notice that the sauce for prawns pilpil, even though it uses almost the same ingredients, is far from that wonderful gelatinous sauce that usually accompanies cod in the Basque Country.
The sauce shares the same name, but has nothing to do with, the traditional cod pilpil typical of the Basque Country. They are, in fact, a variant of the classic garlic prawns.
The history of the pilpil sauce is quite curious. It turns out that its origin, which dates back to 1836, is due to the fact that one day the Bilbao merchant Simón Gurtubay placed an order for 20 or 22 cod. This is what he thought he made, since, according to legend, when he was served the order there were no more and no less than 2022 copies. At that time, the city of Bilbao was suffering from a notable shortage after the siege of the city during the Carlist Wars. This made it relatively “easy” to find an outlet for all this fish, but it had to be cooked in a way that would appeal to the people of Bilbao with the few ingredients that could be found in the market.
It must be taken into account that, during the 19th century, Malaga was a very industrial city with its steelworks blast furnaces, of which we have vestiges today on the beaches of Huelin and La Misericordia. What caused the city to be of interest to families of different origins, such as the Basque, probably this way of cooking fish is an assimilation due to the rich cultural mix that we have on the Costa del Sol.
The technique of cooking the prawns slowly in a casserole with olive oil until they release their juices and form a delicious sauce is what makes this dish so special.
That's where its name comes from, since pilpil is an onomatopoeia of the sound the casserole makes when served.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg of fresh, good-sized prawns
10 cloves of garlic
1 cayenne pepper
Paprika
Parsley
Olive oil
Salt
RECIPE
WE RECOMMEND YOU TRY THE ONE THEY ARE SERVING IN:
Restaurante El Patio del Ángel
Calle Ángel, 4, 29008 Málaga
Reservation: +34 633 137 296
Opening hours:
January to March:
Tuesday to Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
March to July:
Daily from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
July and August:
Daily from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
September to December:
Daily from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Restaurante El Patio del Ángel
It stands out for its traditional Spanish and Andalusian cuisine. Here you can enjoy an authentic Andalusian patio and a charming outdoor terrace.
Located on Ángel Street, where the old El Cenachero club was located.
This street was once decorated for the festivities by Tomás Lavat, brother of the dancer Pepito Vargas. There was also a Convent of Dominican nuns of San Miguel Arcángel in the 12th century, from which its name comes.
On November 28, 1931, the master of alexandrine verse and prominent representative of the generation of the 1950s, the writer and poet from Malaga, María Victoria Atienza, was born here.
There were also historic Malaga shops, such as the famous Papelería Morales and other historic ones such as Zapatería Dover, Galerías Rusadir or Tapicería Suprema.
HOW TO GET TO THE RESTAURANT
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