Alastair Hendy's Roast Rosemary Prawns with Whole Garlic

Richly aromatic, juicily infused ocean treasures.

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   1. You will need 500g raw unpeeled prawns, a plastic bag for marinating, a good-sized roasting tin, and some foil.
   2. Separate 1 bulb garlic into cloves.
   Peel and crush 3 cloves and leave the remainder in their skins. Chop the
   leaves from 4 sprigs rosemary.
   3. Toss the prawns with the chopped rosemary, the whole and crushed garlic cloves, 3 tbsp olive oil and a good smattering of sea salt. Put the lot in a plastic bag so the flavours can work on each other, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
   4. Beat 6 tbsp mayonnaise with 6 tbsp sour cream. Season to taste with salt and a grinding of black pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of Tabasco, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6.
   5. Remove the whole cloves of garlic from the prawn bag and scatter these across the roasting tin. Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes or until just soft. Discard the foil and add the prawns to the tray, along with their flavoured oil. Spread everything evenly in the tin then return to the oven for about 10 minutes or until the shells become crunchy, turning once during cooking. Eat the prawns (shell and all if small, or de-shell them if you wish) with the flavoured mayo for dipping, and the whole and roast garlic cloves, sucking these from their skins. Finger bowls and big napkins a must.