Seafood/ Spanish Recipes

Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)

Garlic shrimp- Spanish style- takes this dish to a new level! The addition of the chile, lemon and a splash of sherry makes this dish lip-smacking good.

Leaving the shrimp tails on or off? The choice is yours and serving the dish in a traditional Spanish terra cotta cazuela makes for an authentic presentation.

That’s all I have to say on the subject- I hope you enjoy Gambas al Ajillo!

Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)

Print Recipe
Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (1/2 kilo) raw shrimp or prawns
  • 1 red chile, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves (add more, if you like!)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Splash sherry
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • salt
  • One 'knob' of butter to finish off
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1

Remove any shells from the shrimp. Dice the chile pepper and garlic. Completely cover the bottom of a fry pan with olive oil and sauté the chile pepper and garlic over medium heat until soft.

2

Add the raw shrimp and heat until the shrimp turn pink-do not overcook! Add a splash of sherry, the lime juice and salt to taste.

3

Add a 'knob' of butter (about 1 slice), stir, divide into four servings and then top with finely chopped parsley.

Notes

The Spanish often use small shrimp for this dish but I like to mix in a few jumbo shrimp.

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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Michele Rempel
    September 3, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Sounds delicious and couldn’t be simpler!

    • Reply
      Fran Flint
      September 3, 2018 at 10:28 am

      Thanks Michele for your comment. And thanks for your nice design for my blog!

  • Reply
    John / Kitchen Riffs
    September 3, 2018 at 9:07 am

    I think shrimp tails on for me, please. Love the way they look! And reading the recipe, bet I’d love the way these taste, too. 🙂 Really nice recipe — thanks.

  • Reply
    Fran Flint
    September 3, 2018 at 10:29 am

    Thanks John- so simple, yet so good!

  • Reply
    David
    September 4, 2018 at 12:56 am

    Hi Fran! I actually made a version of this the other night and, of course with my allergy, had to use shallots. It was soooo good. I need to try your version now – just different enough that I can almost taste the difference.

  • Reply
    Fran Flint
    September 4, 2018 at 10:49 am

    Way to go, David! I assume you had to substitute the shallots for the chile?

  • Reply
    Karen (Back Road Journal)
    September 8, 2018 at 3:43 am

    Yum…I have all the ingredients to make the shrimp. They sound great!

  • Reply
    Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
    September 16, 2018 at 11:05 pm

    Simple and delicious! That’s the best kind of recipe 🙂 These shrimp look amazing.

  • Reply
    Jeff the Chef
    September 17, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    I just want to dive head-first into that shrimp!

  • Reply
    Fran Flint
    September 17, 2018 at 6:48 pm

    Thanks Jeff- feel free to dive right in!

  • Reply
    Raymund
    September 19, 2018 at 5:43 pm

    One of my favourite tapas! love it with a cold beer

  • Reply
    Georgia Bolton
    September 23, 2018 at 9:48 pm

    Thank you so much for your shearing post!

  • Reply
    marie johson
    January 27, 2020 at 3:14 am

    This recipe is absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to share with my family.

  • I love comments!