Gambas al ajillo, Spanish garlic shrimp
Gambas al ajillo: shrimp cooked in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and chilli, ready in minutes. Spain's most famous tapa, served with bread to mop up the oil.
Are you looking for a Spanish tapa that comes together in minutes and instantly turns the table into a party?
Then gambas al ajillo is exactly what you need. I’ll walk you through it step by step: juicy shrimp sizzling in oil fragrant with garlic and chilli, ready in under half an hour and made to be shared.
The secret to this dish is its simplicity. Just a few ingredients, but good ones: fresh shrimp, slivered garlic and a generous extra virgin olive oil that becomes the star. The garlic should reach a gentle golden colour, never dark, because burnt garlic would turn the whole oil bitter.
Making gambas al ajillo has at least three advantages: it is incredibly quick, naturally gluten free and dairy free, and it turns a handful of shrimp into a dish straight out of a Spanish tavern. All you need is a pan and a little attention to timing.
The trick that really makes the difference is the flash cooking: the shrimp cook in one minute per side and the heat of the oil finishes the job. Leave them too long and they go rubbery, so keep an eye on them and lift them out as soon as they curl and take on colour.
Serve them piping hot, ideally in the traditional earthenware cazuela that holds the heat, with plenty of bread alongside to soak up the leftover oil. They are best eaten fresh and do not keep well the next day.
Ready? Let’s make the gambas al ajillo.
Steps
- Peel the shrimp and pat them dry. Slice the garlic into thin slivers and chop the chilli into small pieces.
- In a pan, ideally an earthenware one, pour in the oil and add the garlic and chilli over medium heat: let the oil take on flavour until the garlic turns golden, without burning it.
- Turn up the heat, season the shrimp with salt and add them to the hot oil. Cook for about one minute per side: just a few moments, otherwise they turn rubbery.
- If you like, deglaze with a tablespoon of white wine or sherry and let it evaporate.
- Take off the heat, scatter with parsley and serve at once, piping hot, with bread to mop up the oil.
Helpful tips
Do not overcook the shrimp: one minute per side is enough, the heat of the oil finishes the cooking.
The flavoured oil is half the dish: use plenty of good extra virgin olive oil, perfect for dipping bread.
Serve them in the traditional earthenware cazuela, which keeps the heat right to the table.
Adjust the heat with the amount of chilli: the Spanish guindilla is mild.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 1.0 g
- Sugars
- 0.0 g
- Protein
- 20.0 g
- Fat
- 16.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 2.5 g
- Fiber
- 0.0 g
- Sodium
- 380 mg
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