Gambas al Ajillo

Name: Gambas al Ajillo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 400 g (14 oz) large raw shrimp, peeled, tails on, deveined, patted very dry; 3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt; 120 ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 dried cayenne or guindilla chilies, broken; or ½ tsp chili flakes; 2 tbsp dry sherry or white wine, optional; 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, optional; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 10 g (⅓ cup) flat-leaf parsley, chopped; crusty bread, to serve

Shrimp sizzling in garlic, chili and olive oil — with bread to mop it up

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 10 min
Total: 20 min
Level: Easy

A tapas bar classic: shrimp cooked in a shallow pool of olive oil with sliced garlic and chili, brought to the table still sizzling. It takes about five minutes, so get everything ready, including the bread.

Ingredients

400 glarge raw shrimp (14 oz)peeled, tails on, deveined, patted very dry
3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)
120 mlextra-virgin olive oil (½ cup)
6 clovesgarlicthinly sliced
2dried cayenne or guindilla chiliesbroken; or ½ tsp chili flakes
2 tbspdry sherry or white wineoptional
1 tspsweet smoked paprikaoptional
1 tbsplemon juice
10 gflat-leaf parsley (⅓ cup)chopped
crusty breadto serve

Diet: Dairy-free, Pescatarian
Allergens: crustaceans, sulphites, gluten
Origin: Spain

Method

Toss the shrimp with the salt and leave for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest. 10 min
Put the oil, garlic and chili in a shallow terracotta dish or a frying pan. Warm over medium-low heat until the garlic is fragrant and just starting to color at the edges, 3–4 minutes. 4 min
Turn the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook until pink underneath, 1 minute; turn and add the sherry and paprika. Cook until just opaque throughout, 1–2 minutes more. 3 min
Take off the heat, add the lemon juice and parsley and serve at once, sizzling, with bread for the oil.

Why it works

Salting the shrimp briefly seasons them through and helps them stay juicy. Shrimp overcook in seconds, turning from tender to rubbery once they curl tightly into an O; aim for a loose C shape. Warming the garlic gently first flavors the oil without burning.

Common mistakes

Wet shrimp: they spit and steam. Dry them well.
Overcooking: pull them as soon as they turn opaque.

Variations

Mushroom version: Use 400 g quartered small mushrooms; cook 5–6 minutes until golden.

Notes

Frozen raw shrimp are fine; thaw in the fridge overnight. Serving with bread adds gluten. Sulphites only if you add the sherry or wine.