Belinda Jeffery

I don’t really know what it is about prawns and chickpeas that make their flavours go so well together; the sweet, brininess of the prawns seems to be just the right foil for the slightly nutty chickpeas. In this simple salad the two combine beautifully, tied together by fragrant basil which adds its warm liquorice-like note to the mix. The only thing you need with it is plenty of warm Turkish bread to mop up every skerrick of the truly delicious juices. (If you would prefer to use canned chickpeas, you will need 2 x 400g cans, drained and rinsed well under cold water before using.)

Serves 4

For the chickpea salad, wash the chickpeas really, really well and check them for any little stones or discoloured peas. Put them to soak in a large bowl of cold water. (You need about 4 times the amount of water as there are chickpeas.) Leave them in a cool spot overnight. If the weather is warm it’s a good idea to put them in the fridge otherwise they can ferment and start to bubble.

The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse them again. Put them into a large saucepan and cover them with cold water by at least an index-finger length. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook the peas until they’re tender and creamy but not mushy – if the water level starts to look quite low, top it up with boiling water as the chickpeas need to be covered at all times. Skim away any scum that forms on the surface as the chickpeas cook. The cooking time can vary enormously depending on just how fresh the chickpeas are to begin with. Recently dried chickpeas can cook in about 40 minutes; older ones may take up to 1 ½ hours or more. The best way to check is to scoop out a couple and try them – as soon as they’re ready, thoroughly drain them.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper. Tip the chickpeas into the bowl and thoroughly mix them into the dressing. Taste the salad and adjust the flavours to suit you, then set the bowl aside, giving the chickpeas a stir every so often.  Just before serving, stir in the basil and parsley.

Pour enough olive oil into a large, heavy-based frying pan to come about 2mm – 3mm up the sides. Heat the oil over medium/low heat, then stir in the garlic and chilli, and cook them gently for a moment. Tip in the prawns, and fry them for a couple of minutes, turning them once, until they’re just cooked through.  Sprinkle on a little sea salt then remove the pan from the heat.

Give the chickpea salad a good stir, then spoon some into a wide serving bowl. Top this with half a dozen prawns and their cooking juices, then more chickpeas, prawns and so on, until both are used up. Serve immediately, with wedges of lemon to squeeze over the top.