Spanish Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)

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Table of contents:

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How to Make Spanish Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)

• Prep time: 10-12 minutes
• Cook time: 8 minutes
• Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

(Serves 4 as a Tapa)

• 14 oz shrimp/400 grams of large raw shrimp
• 12 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1 heaped teaspoon of sweet Spanish paprika
• 3.5 fl oz/100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fl oz/60 ml dry sherry wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional for garnish
• Zest of half a lemon
• 1 pinch of salt

For Serving

• Fresh baguette or your favorite bread

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Equipment

• 1 Large skillet or pan
• Sharp knife and cutting board

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Instructions

1. Peel the shrimp completely and devein them. Season lightly with some salt and soak in chilled water for 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, peel the garlic and slice it finely into slices. 
3. In a skillet or pan heat the oil over medium heat, then sauté the garlic until it becomes fragrant and just begins to turn golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it can impart a bitter taste.
4. Add the shrimp and cook for approximately 6 minutes until they’re opaque all over and cooked through. 
5. Once the shrimp are pink, add the sherry and lemon zest and give it all a good mix.
6. Add the chili flakes and paprika, stir, and cook for another minute. 
7. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. 
8. Serve the dish with crusty bread to soak up the delicious olive oil and garlic sauce.

Cooking Notes

• Use less garlic if you like but you’ll want at least 6 cloves. 
• You can use more chili if you like or sub it for cayenne pepper. 
• When cooking with extra virgin olive oil, note that it has a smoke point of 210°C/410°F. To avoid your oil smoking while cooking, use medium-high heat.
• We love to serve it with a fresh squeeze of lemon.

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About Spanish Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)

Gambas al Ajillo is undoubtedly one of the most well-known seafood tapas recipes in Spain. It’s up there with other tapas stars like patatas bravas, calamari, and of course, the famous Spanish tortilla. 

You’ll find it everywhere. When we make it at home, we sometimes have it as a main and just have some salad or veg on the side. It’s typically eaten as a tapa though. But you’ll see, it’s so tasty, sometimes you can’t stop!

Key Ingredients

• Shrimp (prawns): The quality of the seafood will make a difference and fresh is best, where possible. But, as long as you have raw shrimp frozen works too — we’ve made it a number of times when craving the dish suddenly and had shrimp in the freezer. Just make sure you thaw frozen shrimp before cooking with them.
• Garlic: A generous amount of garlic is a key component, providing a rich and aromatic base to the dish. We use around 12 garlic cloves but you can reduce this if you’re love for garlic is not as strong. But you’ll want at least 6 cloves.
• Olive oil: Choose a good-quality extra virgin olive oil to infuse the dish with its distinct Mediterranean flavor. Plus, extra virgin olive oil is the best for you and this dish calls for a lot of oil so it pays to splurge here. 
• Red chili flakes: For a touch of heat, the dried chili flakes give the dish a spicy kick. We like to keep it just mildly spicy, and you’ll never find this spicy in Spain. But, if you love spicy dishes feel free to add more than the ½ teaspoon we use. 
• Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a burst of color and a hint of freshness to balance the richness of the other ingredients.
• Sherry: Adding some sherry really makes this dish sing. We prefer to use dry sherry since it’s still sweet without being too overbearing. You can use a sweet sherry if you prefer.

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How and When to Serve Gambas al Ajillo

There is never a wrong time to serve gambas al ajillo. Whether you’re having a dinner party and want to impress or are just craving a tasty dish with shrimp, this will probably become a regular feature on your menu. 

Traditionally, it’s served as a tapas or appetizer. As I mentioned earlier, we sometimes make it as a main and will use the quantities listed in the recipe for 2 people. You can have a nice salad like a classic Greek salad or some veg like spicy roasted potatoes (batata harra) on the side to make it a more complete and balanced meal. Bon provecho amigos.

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Nutrition Information

Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	513
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41.9g	54%
Saturated Fat 6.1g	31%
Cholesterol 195mg	65%
Sodium 9941mg	432%
Total Carbohydrate 13.1g	5%
Dietary Fiber 2.9g	10%
Total Sugars 6.5g
Protein 23.8g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 81mg	6%
Iron 5mg	26%
Potassium 652mg	14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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