Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for smoky prawn, new potato and spinach stew
This Spanish-style stew is an excellent choice for a midweek dinner – it is simple to prepare yet presents beautifully.
This Spanish-inspired stew works well as a weeknight meal, especially when entertaining a few friends, as it feels somewhat special while remaining straightforward and effortless. To simplify the process further, you can prepare the potato base in advance and then add the spinach and prawns just before serving. This approach minimizes cooking time in front of guests, allowing more time for conversation and serving drinks. Accompany the stew with a peppery, lemon-dressed salad and crusty bread to soak up the flavorful juices.
Smoky prawn, new potato and spinach stew (pictured top)
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 35 min
Serves: 4
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled, 4 finely sliced, 1 left whole
- ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp mild chilli powder
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 250g ripe tomatoes, chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 300ml fish stock
- 600g new potatoes, halved (or quartered if very large)
- 1 lemon
- 150g baby spinach
- 350g peeled king prawns, deveined, if you like
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Place a large, deep, ovenproof frying pan over medium-low heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and fry for one minute. Stir in the smoked paprika, chilli powder, and tomato puree, frying for an additional minute before adding the chopped tomatoes. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper, increase the heat slightly, and cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.
Add the fish stock and potatoes to the pan, squeeze in the juice of half the lemon, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Next, stir in the baby spinach, cover again, and cook for two minutes until the spinach has wilted.
Check that the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Remove the lid from the pan, scatter the prawns over the stew, drizzle with olive oil, season, and place under the grill for four to five minutes until the prawns turn pink, are cooked through, and develop a slight char.
While the prawns cook, finely grate the remaining whole garlic clove into the mayonnaise. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining half of the lemon and season to taste.
Serve the stew topped with the chopped parsley and a dollop of the garlic mayonnaise (aïoli).
