Gambas al ajillo

Dessert
Written By Truffle&Egg

A classic and easy Spanish tapa!

Gambas al ajillo (aka Garlic prawns) is one of the most popular Spanish tapas for a good reason! Imagine juicy shrimps swimming in a rich olive oil sauce flavoured with lots of garlic and some chillies. Nothing beats the dipping some crusty bread in this dish and soaking up all the flavours!

Best of all this is probably one of the easiests Spanish dishes you can make, you only need a handfull of ingredients, very little prep and less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Traditionally this dish is cooked directly in a clay dish over a stove and served directly here. However you can make them on a regular frying pan with very similar results!

🍽️ 4 portions

Ingredients

  • 450g raw shrimp

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 8 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

  • 1 tsp salt

Method

  • Peel the shrimp and season with salt. Set aside for now.

  • Heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until it turns golden (be careful it doesnt burn as it will become bitter).

  • Add the shrimp and chilli flakes. Cook for 4-5 minutes while stirring regularly until the shrimp halves in size and turns pink. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fresh chopped parsley.

  • Serve the shrimp immideately with your favorite crusty bread.

FAQS and Tips

  • I recommend using good quality extra virgin olive oil as it adds the best flavour to this dish

  • What kind of shrimp can I use? Really any kind works but since they halve in size when you cook them I recommend larger prawn varieties.

Truffle&Egg
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Prawn aguachile