Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) are a classic Spanish tapas dish. Succulent shrimp in a spicy garlicky sauce that you will need to dip your bread into!
I am so excited to share another tapas dish with you today! As I mentioned a few weeks ago when I posted my first tapa, I was asked by Fred Meyer to develop a Spanish recipe to celebrate their Taste of Spain event. They only asked me to do one recipe, but I was so into it that I ended up thinking of several that I wanted to try out. The good news is that the Taste of Spain event is officially ON right now, from April 3rd-16th in Fred Meyer and ALL Kroger stores! So if you want to explore some Spanish cuisine, now is the time!
Actually, I discovered something really funny that I had to share with you all. When I did this photo shoot, I wanted a bottle of Spanish wine for the photos. I stood in the wine aisle in Fred Meyer for…let’s just say awhile, trying to pick out a bottle and I finally settled on the Marque de Caceres Rioja. The wine didn’t make it into most of the photos (the above photo is the only one that it ended up being in), but it is still there, lending its ambiance. As I was going through my study abroad photos from my time in Spain in 2004, I noticed that in a few of the photos of my last dinner in Spain, the same exact wine that I bought for my photo shoot was on the table! I didn’t remember the wine at all when I bought it, but I ended up buying the same exact wine for my photo shoot 12 years later. How funny is that?? I may be overly excited about it, but I made you a collage to show you the wine that I bought a few weeks ago for my Spanish recipes and the two really bad photos I found of the same wine in Spain in 2004. Also please excuse the terrible quality of the photos, as I said it was 2004 – no smartphone, and I didn’t even have a digital camera. I think I had my point and shoot camera on a nighttime setting that made all the photos blurry. That or I had too much wine. Probably both.
ANYWAY, you are probably not as excited about this as I am, so let’s get back to the garlic shrimp, or Gambas al Ajillo as they are called in Spain. This is a simple tapa dish that is garlicky and spicy. One thing to note is you really are going to want some nice bread to serve with this to dip into the garlicky, spicy sauce that the shrimp are in.
This garlic shrimp is a simple tapa dish that is garlicky and spicy.
Shrimp cook very quickly, so be sure to have all of the ingredients ready to go. This one comes together in a few minutes, and it is by far the easiest of the tapa I have posted so far. I liked serving this as part of a tapas spread, in this case I served it with patatas bravas and ham croquettes.
Have a tapas party!
|
|
|
Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)
Ingredients
- 1 pound large raw shrimp
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4-6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon spanish smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- salt
- pepper
- chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add butter, olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to a sauté pan and heat over medium heat.
- Sauté for about 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
- Add the paprika, lemon juice and shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- Season with salt and pepper, and pour shrimp and oil into serving dish. Top with parsley if desired and serve with crusty bread for dipping.
If you make this recipe don’t forget to tag it @foxandbriar and #foxandbriar on instagram and facebook! I really love to see what you make and you may be featured in our weekly Reader Feature!
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Easy Pesto Grilled Shrimp
Nancy says
Made tonight, delicious! Coincided with Jon Rahm (a Spaniard) winning the Masters. SALUD! Thanks for sharing.
Cathy Kurvers says
Loved this recipe.
Suzanne Legge says
Butter would never be used in this recipe in Spain.
Meghan says
Well that’s too bad because butter is delicious.
Chloe Edges says
Quite right, butter makes everything better. Thank goodness us foodies cook with our senses and not a false sense of obligation to one person who deems to speak for a whole nation’s traditions 😍
Xin says
We have standards in cooking and it’s our passion that we go beyond what’s ordinary..
We infused not confused.
kendall says
very garlicky very spicy much delicious
Meghan says
Yay! So glad you loved it!
Brian says
Late to the party, but my wife and I just made this. We added some cherry tomatoes we had leftover. Soooo delicious! Will be making this again when we have guests for dinner.
Meghan says
So happy to hear that you loved it! Thanks Brian!
Gwen says
This turned out amazing! I substituted 1 Tablespoon ghee for the butter, and used oregano and thyme instead of parsley (since that’s what I had), and it was sooooo good! Very well balanced. Perfect amount of acidity and spice. Quick and easy for a weeknight meal. I look forward to making it again soon!
Meghan says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks Gwen!
Janice says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! My kids and I loved it!! The sauce is to die for😍 We were dipping bread, veggies and even our steak into that magical sauce. Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe which will be on regular rotation at our house!
Meghan says
Yay! I am so happy to hear that!
Jessica says
Delicious recipe! I didn’t have hot pepper flakes, so I used sliced jalapeños instead. Turned out great! Thank you! (P.s. for some reason I’m not able to use capital letters in the comment box)
Meghan says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jessica! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet says
OMG you had me at succulent shrimp!! This looks and sounds amazing dear! So glad I’m seeing this now that I’m back from vacation. Wish I could have a tapas party with you!
Meghan says
Me too Lauren! Thanks dear!
Ashley@CookNourishBliss says
So I’m totally weird and won’t eat shrimp (it’s a texture thing!!) but my husband would loveeeee this dish! I should be a nice wife and make it for him sometime!! haha 🙂
Meghan says
Really??? I love shrimp – but I totally get the texture thing. There are certain foods I don’t eat for the same reason. These are super easy so you could for sure score some wife points with these without working too hard 🙂
Lynn | The Road to Honey says
I guess you and that lovely bottle of wine were destined to be together. . .sort of like soul mates. The Mr. recently returned from Spain and brought back a lovely bottle of wine for us to share. I don’t recall the vineyard. . .but wouldn’t it be a freaky if it was this very wine.
Anywhoo. . .this tapas is so lovely. . .and it’s simple to make (even better). My only issue is that my kitty is a little shrimp burglar of sorts and if I don’t keep a close eye on him I am sure these shrimp would go missing rickety split.
Meghan says
My kitties steal the shrimp tails if they get left out. The only evidence is that they are moved around if I leave the room and walk back in – ha! Little thieves. Thanks Lynn!
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
Oh man, these are so my kinda food! I love shrimp and garlic… love going for tapas aaaah!!
Meghan says
Yessss, we love the same things! Thanks Natasha!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Guuuurl, you are the tapas queen!! You need to open your own lil restaurant! Loving all your Spanish dishes and this one is no exception! Scrumptious, garlicky shrimp up in here! We don’t have a Kroger around, but lucky for me I can still get my Spanish cuisine on with all your recipes! 😉 Wiiiiiinning! Cheers, dear!
Meghan says
Aww, thanks girl! You are the sweetest!
Clarissa says
Too funny about your wine deja-vu 🙂 I’m so excited to make these shrimp; easy enough, and I LOVE seafood <3
-Clarissa @ The View From Here
Meghan says
Thanks so much Clarissa! It is super easy, I hope you love it!
Tracy @ Served from Scratch says
These look SO amazing. Pinning to my must make board!!
Meghan says
Thank you so much Tracy!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
This garlic shrimp looks so yummy oh my gosh! I only recently realised I actually like shrimp, so been looking for good recipes – will need to try this for sure!
Meghan says
Thank you Michelle! This is a great starter shrimp recipe, it is fast and easy!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
Tapas are so much fun! And smoked paprika is incredible, and with garlic prawns? <3
such a random coincidence with that bottle of wine though! x
Meghan says
I am totally in love with smoked paprika right now, I don’t know how I ever lived without it 🙂 Thanks you Caludia!
pam says
I love the blurry wine photos 🙂
Meghan says
Haha, thanks Pam!
My Dish is Bomb says
I’m having some mad photoshop ideas with the blurry photo — the background looks so cool, you should use it somewhere on your blog or as the background for an ad or something! Vintage 😉 This shrimp recipe reminds me of one we used to eat in Hawaii. Just drenched with garlic and lemon, they’re often sold in a truck on the side of the road by the popular beaches. Looks delicious! Pinning 🙂
Meghan says
Oh I ate at one of those shrimp trucks when I was in Hawaii once! So good! Thanks so much for pinning, Katy!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
I don’t eat shrimp nearly enough, and this garlic spicy version sounds amazing.
Meghan says
Thank you Nicole!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Absolutely in love with this tapas dish! I just love the gorgeous color of this dish! Looks awesome. That wine story is beautiful! Pinning!
Meghan says
Thank you so much Anu! And thank you for pinning!
Liz @ Ready to Yumble says
A tapas party is my kinda party! Love the wine story – I’m so bad at keeping track of what wines I’ve tried and which ones I like. Sometimes a label looks familiar, but I can’t remember if it was good, bad or indifferent! At least you have photographic records now 🙂
Meghan says
Haha, Liz, me too! That is why I have a few standard wines that I almost always buy, because I know they are good. That is why I was so stumped in the wine aisle!
All That I'm Eating says
Such a classic recipe, love the pictures too!
Meghan says
Thank you so much!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I love your story about the wine! I am always intrigued when there are connections of any kind…even to the past! This garlic shrimp looks so tasty. I’m pinning this for later!
Meghan says
Thanks Kathy, I’m glad you liked the wine story! And thank you so much for pinning!
swayam says
lovely Meghan!! Garlic shrimps are my personal fave and these look so so good. Pinning!
Meghan says
Thanks so much Swayam, and thank you for pinning!
Adina says
That’s a nice thing with the wine, shows that each of us is attracted to certain kind of things. I love those shrimps, I could eat the whole bowl right now.
Meghan says
Thanks so much Adina!
Megan says
Yum, I love how fast and easy this is! And I think your story is pretty exciting. It’s “coincidences” like that that make me believe we actually remember a lot more than we think!
Meghan says
Thank you Megan! I agree, I think there are lots of memories floating around in there just under the surface!
Dad says
Quick good eats!
Meghan says
Thanks! 🙂
Dawn at Girl Heart Food says
I’m loving this tapas theme that you’ve been doing lately, Meghan! And any dish that has a sauce, especially a garlic one, I love dipping some nice crusty bread into. I always do that if I have mussels. Absolutely delish! Pinned 🙂
Meghan says
Thanks so much Dawn! I agree, dipping the bread in is probably the best part 🙂
Julie at Hostess At Heart says
I LOVE shrimp and this recipe sounds absolutely amazing!
Meghan says
Thanks so much Julie!
Ashlyn | Dollop Of Yum says
I love garlic, I love shrimp, and I loooove spicy. So basically, I’m totally head over heels for this recipe! Meghan, I always enjoy exploring new cuisines so I am totally digging how you’ve developed multiple Spanish tapas recipes! 🙂
Meghan says
Thank you so much Ashlyn! This recipe is right up your alley!
Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says
Yeah I’m SURE it was the settings on the camera, Meghan. But it’s an extraordinary coincidence and I love stories like that. This dish is making my mouth water and your photos (aside from the ones from Spain) are stunning. I am now officially more excited than ever for my trip to Barcelona. And that is saying something.
Meghan says
Haha, well at least I know my photography has improved! I have to tell you that Barcelona was my favorite part of my trip to Spain, it is BEAUTIFUL! You will love it.
Tamara says
I love tapas! It’s really my favorite way to entertain and even to eat out… and I don’t blame you at all for the excitement over the bottle of wine 🙂 I would be too! I loved this post!
Meghan says
Thanks so much Tamera! I am the same way, I love tapas when going out too!