Spain on a Fork > All Recipes > Tapas > The Famous Spanish Garlic Shrimp | Gambas al Ajillo from Madrid
All Recipes, Tapas / November 18, 2020

The Famous Spanish Garlic Shrimp | Gambas al Ajillo from Madrid

One of Spain´s most famous tapas dishes is Gambas al Ajillo. Which is basically garlic shrimp. However, every region makes them different. In this post, I will show you how to make The Famous Spanish Garlic Shrimp from Madrid.


This garlic shrimp recipe is very simple, yet it has the most incredible flavors. Folks, it does not get better than this. Easy to make, just a couple ingredients and done in 20 minutes.


What makes Spanish garlic shrimp some of the best in the world, is the amount of garlic that is used. We are talking an obscene amount of garlic, swimming in a beautiful pool of sauce, next to some perfectly cooked shrimp.


TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: I used raw frozen shrimp that I thawed out. But you can use fresh shrimp as well. Either way, make sure to pat them completely dry with paper towels. This removes any excess water, so the shrimp can absorb all the flavors in the pan.

Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in this Recipe:
MY SWISS DIAMON FRYING PANS
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL
SPANISH SEA SALT

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Watch the Video Below on How to Make The Famous Spanish Garlic Shrimp | Gambas al Ajillo from Madrid

5 from 6 votes
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The Famous Spanish Garlic Shrimp | Gambas al Ajillo from Madrid

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Spanish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

Ingredients

  • 15 raw jumbo shrimp peeled & deveined
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 4 small dried cayenne peppers
  • 1/3 cup white wine 85 ml
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 88 ml
  • handful freshly chopped parsley
  • sea salt & black pepper
  • 1 baguette to serve optional

Instructions

  1. Peel and thinly slice 8 cloves of garlic, pat down 15 raw jumbo shrimp (peeled & deveined) with paper towels, season the shrimp with sea salt & black pepper, reserve 4 small dried cayenne peppers and measure out 1/3 cup white wine

  2. Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes season the olive oil with sea salt and add in the sliced garlic & cayenne peppers, mix with the olive oil, after 2 minutes and the garlics are developing a light golden fried color, add the shrimp into the pan, making sure they´re all in a single layer

  3. After 1 1/2 to 2 minutes flip the shrimp to cook the other side, then add in the 1/3 cup of white wine and raise the heat to a medium-high heat

  4. After a total cooking time of about 4 minutes on the shrimp (2 minutes per side), they should be perfectly cooked, remove the pan from the heat, transfer everything into a serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, serve next to a crusty baguette to mop up all the sauce, enjoy!

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20 Comments

  1. proxy best price

    This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thanks!

    13 . Dec . 2023
    • Spain on a Fork

      Happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment 🙂 Much love

      15 . Dec . 2023
  2. Lynn

    5 stars
    Just made this as a quick low calorie meal and it is delicious. I really love your recipes and make them often .
    Thank you for teaching us these wonderful foods .

    03 . Feb . 2023
    • Spain on a Fork

      So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment 🙂 Much love

      03 . Feb . 2023
  3. Kitty

    Hola Albert, do you devein the frozen shrimp yourself? If not, please could you let me know which brand you use? I am currently in Sevilla and have not seen deveined frozen shrimp in the supermarkets here. Muchas gracias! I can’t wait to make this recipe–it’s one of my favorite Spanish dishes!

    31 . Jan . 2022
    • Spain on a Fork

      Mercadona and Consum sells them, they are called colas de gambones, in the freezer section, peeled & deveined 🙂 much love

      31 . Jan . 2022
  4. Mediterranean Cook

    5 stars
    Your recipes are fantastic. Love the abundant use of garlic. Just like we Sicilians. Can’t wait to try this one and your mushrooms with garlic and vinegar sauce.

    04 . Jul . 2021
    • Spain on a Fork

      So happy to hear that! thanks for the comment 🙂 much love!

      04 . Jul . 2021
  5. SusieD

    5 stars
    I made this for Father’s Day for my husband….along with the creamy garlic potatoes and a salad…..it was incredible. Guaranteed no vampires at our house!! The beauty of these recipes is their simplicity, yet the flavours are amazing!

    22 . Jun . 2021
    • Spain on a Fork

      I am so happy to hear that! Much love 🙂

      22 . Jun . 2021
  6. Randy Alexander

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe. I discovered this on YouTube where I am a subscriber. What brand are the small peppers? I’ve only seen large long ones available here (US.)

    13 . Jan . 2021
    • Spain on a Fork

      The ones I used are ¨hacendado¨ which are only available in Spain. You can use the largers ones, just cut them into small pieces 🙂 much love!

      13 . Jan . 2021
  7. Steve

    Excellent videos!

    20 . Dec . 2020
    • Spain on a Fork

      Thank you! much love 🙂

      20 . Dec . 2020
  8. Brian Robinson

    When is the cookbook coming out? My printer is running out of ink printing all of these amazing recipes!

    01 . Dec . 2020
    • Spain on a Fork

      Maybe one day! Thanks for the comment 🙂 much love

      01 . Dec . 2020
  9. Hilloo Gopal

    5 stars
    Great dishes and so easy to make!

    18 . Nov . 2020
    • Spain on a Fork

      Thank you!!! Much love 🙂

      19 . Nov . 2020
  10. Hilloo Gopal

    5 stars
    Love Spanish food so these recipes are v welcome

    18 . Nov . 2020
    • Spain on a Fork

      Thanks for the comment 🙂 Much love!

      19 . Nov . 2020

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