Description
Make authentic Gambas al Ajillo at home. This incredibly easy, restaurant-quality Spanish garlic shrimp dish sizzles to perfection in just 5 minutes. A guaranteed hit for any occasion.
Recipe compliments of Deborah Hansen, chef/owner of Taberno De Haro.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Equipment: Small 6" Cast Iron Pan (note 1)
- 10 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (note 2)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, sliced crosswise into uniform 1/8-inch slices
- 2 small dried red peppers, broken in half (We use chile de arbol) or 1/4 teaspoon of hot crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place all your prepared ingredients right in front of you. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
- Heat a 6-inch cast iron shallow pan for 30 seconds over a high flame. Pour in the oil. Wait 10 seconds, then add the garlic and the peppers (or pepper flakes), and sauté until the garlic is golden brown. Add all 10 shrimp quickly. Let sauté 1 minute and then turn with tongs. Salt. Let sauté one more minute, stir, and then serve immediately while they are still sizzling in the pan (with a trivet underneath). High and fast is the name of the game here.
- Serve with crusty bread for sopping up the delicious oil, and savor how the oil changes in flavor as the shrimp release their juices!
Notes
- Don't have a cast iron pan? If you use a metal frying pan, make sure it is small, 8-inches or less, and diminish the cooking time of the shrimp to 20 seconds on each side.
- The best-tasting shrimp are the ones you buy still in the shell. Frozen is fine, just defrost in cold water before cooking.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator; however our nutrition information should be used only as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Category: Appetizer, Tapas
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Spanish