Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)

Recipe Below...

Gambas al Ajillo, or garlic shrimp, are traditional, spicy Spanish tapas. In this recipe, slices of garlic, sauteed until golden, are a sweet compliment to spicy red pepper flakes. Olive oil, butter, sherry, and lemon juice come together with herbs and spices to create an irresistable sauce, perfect for dipping into with hunks of crusty French bread.

Notes:

• Traditionally served at room temperature, Gambas al Ajillo serve as a low-fuss, make-ahead appetizer for parties.

• Gambas al Ajillo also make a delicious entree, served warm over a bed of rice.
• It's worth the extra investment to purchase a reasonably priced drinking sherry, rather than a cooking sherry. Cooking sherry is a typically of a lower-quality, with preservative salts added to prolong shelf-life.
• The recipe calls for sweet paprika. The standard paprika available in grocery stores will work. If you have access to a specialty food store, though, the flavor imparted by sweet Hungarian paprika is ideal when making Gambas al Ajillo.

The Recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small bay leaf
1 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp, shelled and deveined with tails off
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, according to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter and olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Saute until garlic turns golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add shrimp, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are almost cooked, about 3 minutes. Add paprika and saute about 1 minute. Add sherry and boil for about 30 seconds, until the sauce is a deep orange in color.

Test to make sure the shrimp are cooked through; they should be pink, moderately firm, and opaque. 

Remove from heat. While mixture is still very hot, stir in parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Remove bay leaf and serve at room temperature, with crusty bread for dipping.

Yields about 6 appetizer-sized servings.

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Comments

[gail jones]

You just keep coming up with unique dishes. The shrimp along with the eggplant would be the makings of a coctail party!