Let’s cook Gambas al Ajillo | Spanish garlic prawns

On By NoémiIn Tapas

I’ve seen a bunch of you asking for quick and easy Spanish tapas recipes in the comments so…

… ask and you shall receive!

Let’s explore the tastes of Spain, one tapa at a time – … and today, our tapas route brings us to Gambas al Ajillo. This dish is an absolute classic in every tapas bar in Spain. It’s simple, but oh, so full of flavor – shrimp cooked in sizzling garlic oil with a hint of chili.

Gambas al ajillo served in a traditional clay tapas dish, with golden prawns swimming in garlic-infused olive oil, accompanied by slices of bread on a vibrant Spanish tile tabletop.

If you like your seafood lemon-y don’t forget to squeeze a wedge over it….
And certainly don’t forget the bread – you’ll want something to mop up every last bit of that flavorful garlic sauce that’s left behind.

Ingredients:

  • 500 g shrimp – peeled
  • 150 ml white wine
  • 4 – ∞ garlic cloves
  • 1-2 small dried red chilies – or 1 tsp chili flakes – or nothing, it’s for your taste
  • Salt, Paprika powder, Parsley
  • Dash of olive oil
  • Lemon

⏱️ prep time: 5 minutes
⏱️ cooking time: 10 minutes

Flat lay of fresh ingredients for gambas al ajillo: raw prawns, sliced garlic, dried chili flakes, olive oil, parsley, and a loaf of crusty bread, arranged on a decorative Spanish tile background.
  • First things first, prepare the shrimp if you can’t find any peeled and deveined shrimp in the store.
  • Neeext: cut the garlic into small pieces, and the chillies too if you are not using chilli flakes.
Thinly sliced garlic sizzling in olive oil in a small pan, just starting to turn golden.
  • Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the sliced garlic to the pan, and sauté it for 1–2 minutes – don’t let it brown.
  • Depending on your taste, add the chilies – or chili flakes.
    I can’t eat too spicy, so I’m just adding a few flakes, just for a tiny kick – … you honestly don’t want to hear my story with a tuna + jalapeño pizza… 🙏
  • Neeext: add the shrimp to the pan, and a good pinch of salt too.
    Cook it around for 2–3 minutes on one side until they start to turn pink.
Raw prawns added to the pan, turning pink as they cook in the bubbling garlic and chili oil.
Raw prawns added to the pan, turning pink as they cook in the bubbling garlic and chili oil.
  • Now, just pour in the white wine, and add the paprika powder to your taste
  • Let it simmer – duh.
A splash of white wine being poured into the pan with sizzling garlic and chili oil, creating a light steam.
  • When the alcohol evaporates and the sauce starts to thicken, sprinkle the prawns with parsley and…
  • taaa daaa, your Gambas al Ajillo is ready.
A rustic tapas bowl filled with sizzling gambas al ajillo—garlicky prawns in olive oil with chili flakes—served with crusty bread on a colorful Spanish tiled table.

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And now, tell me – … you may receive a recipe again… – what is your favourite tapas when you are eating out in Spain?

Aaaanyways,

See you at the next one,

Noémi

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18 thoughts on “Let’s cook Gambas al Ajillo | Spanish garlic prawns”

  3. You have cover both my favourites now, the gambas & the chorizo in vino blanco. All that garlicky goodness!
    Have you done a classic Spanish omelette yet? Sorry if I missed it but my DH always orders omelette & patatas bravas in the red tomatoey sauce rather than alioli

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  5. Pingback: Let’s cook Gambas al Ajillo | Spanish garlic prawns – Reflections with Chise

  7. Travel, food, musings—you’re basically serving tapas for the mind. And you know what they say about tapas: three bites is perfect. So here’s my question—if you had to choose, which bite would you make the biggest: adventure, flavor, or reflection?

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  14. That reminds me of a sailing-trip ages [in the early 1990s] ago, starting in Algeciras. While preparing the boat, we always in the evening went to the resturant of the yacht club for a beer and tapas, where my favourite dish was Gambas al Ajillo. Thinking of that still makes my mouth water,

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