This is a recipe that I learned while I was living in Madeira – a small island that belongs to Portugal- and is basically prawns dipped in a spicy sauce that is absolutely delicious. In portuguese is called Gambas á diablo.

Madeira is well known for their ways to prepare fish and seafood. They know how to maintain the integrity of the seafood flavor and create amazing dishes.
If you ever have the opportunity of visit Madeira island you can’t miss Doca do Cavacas, a restaurant specialized on seafood and fishes. In this place I learned to make my famous deviled prawns.

The most amazing thing of this meal is that you can eat the spicy sauce with some bread and it will be heavenly. I usually prepare some bread with butter and oregano to dip into the sauce.
This dish is very easy to prepare and you can decide the amount of heat that you are comfortable with.




Prawns devil
Ingredients
- 24 prawns Half of them with shell and the other half peeled and deveined
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- Olive oil
- White pepper
- 1 tsp chili pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp parsley freshly chopped
- 1 can of peeled tomato 400gr
- ¼ cup sweet red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Season the prawns with a pinch of white pepper and salt.
- In a big sauté pan add a little bit of olive oil and the garlic.
- When the garlic is slightly golden add the tomato previously smashed, the pepper paste, the sugar, the chili and the prawns with shell. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. (notes 1 and 2)
- Add the peeled prawns and the parsley a let it simmer for 5 minutes. (note 3)
Notes
- Don’t use the blender because we need the texture of some tomatoes chunks on the sauce.
- You can add more chili if you want the prawns extra spicy.
- The peeled prawns needs less time to cook.
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I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.