ShellfishGarlic Charcoal Prawn Skewers
Prawns take about four minutes and are ruined by five. Shell on, skewered flat, over a hot bed, and off before you think.
VegetablesEmber Roasted Peppers with Romesco
No grate, no pan. Peppers go straight onto the burning coals, which sounds like vandalism and is actually the oldest cooking technique there is.
Whole fishCharcoal Grilled Sardines
The cheapest, most Mediterranean thing you can put over coals. Whole sardines, salt, fierce heat and lemon, eaten with your fingers.
ShellfishGrilled Garlic Prawns, Gambas Style
The Spanish tapas classic taken outside: prawns cooked in garlic, chilli and olive oil on a plancha over the coals, the oil catching the smoke.
SausagesGrilled Chorizo with Peppers
Cooking chorizo releases its smoky paprika oil, and over charcoal that oil crisps the skin and coats whatever it touches. Grill it with peppers and mop it up with bread.
Spanish live-fire cooking makes heavy use of the plancha, a solid steel plate that cooks everything a grate lets fall through, and of cooking vegetables directly in the embers.
Romesco, made from ember-roasted peppers, almonds and fried bread, is the sauce that ties much of it together and is worth making properly rather than blending smooth.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic Charcoal Prawn Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | 50°C (120°F) |
| Ember Roasted Peppers with Romesco | Cooking in the embers | 290°C (550°F) and above | 20 min | Collapsed |
| Charcoal Grilled Sardines | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Opaque |
| Grilled Garlic Prawns, Gambas Style | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | 50°C (120°F) |
| Grilled Chorizo with Peppers | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 15 min | 70°C (160°F) |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks. Cooking in the embers. Food laid directly on the coals. No grate, no barrier, maximum char.
Cookers these suit
Drum smokers. Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Portable grills.