Sizzling Chili Shrimp or Gambas al Pil Pil (also known as Gambas al Ajillo) is a glorious dish that you will find in almost any restaurant in Spain, especially in Andalusia. The dish is usually served with crusty bread, like a French baguette.
The recipe is straightforward and takes no time to make. It is excellent as an appetizer or just a quick meal if you prefer. Serve it right next to your favorite wine, and you are in for a real treat.
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Captivating Aspects of This Dish
Today I am going to take you on a journey to Spain.
We cannot always travel when we want, but we can always take a trip somewhere through food.
In Spain, this recipe is cooked in a small clay pot, or a cazuela, as they call it, directly on the fire. Sizzling Chili Shrimp is a super quick recipe that you can make while your guests sit at the table, as the perfect starter when entertaining.
You can adjust the amount of chili you use to suit your taste and the type of paprika, which could be either hot or mild. I like, for example, the smoked Spanish paprika, but it is just a matter of preference.
This recipe is delicious. The combination of flavors works well, and the best way to savor this is by dipping crusty bread in the flavorful olive oil.
How to make this recipe
Heat some olive oil in a pan and add a few chopped garlic cloves to saute for 30 seconds. Sprinkle crushed red chili flakes over the garlic and oil, and cook them for 10 seconds only to develop the flavors and the heat.
Add the raw, cleaned, deveined, with no shells jumbo shrimp.
Then, add the sweet paprika and a pinch of salt over the shrimp. The shrimp cooks for only 2-3 minutes, but you have to stir all the time until the shrimp turns pink and starts to curl.
And this is it! So simple that it doesn't really need a recipe, right? You can serve it directly from the cooking dish, but you can transfer it to a lovely ceramic plate while still sizzling.
Toothpicks and chunks or slices of crusty bread to mop up the aromatic olive oil are perfect for serving. If you are truly adventurous, you can try this recipe for homemade bread.
AMAZING!
Suggestions for other Spanish recipes
Spanish migas con chorizo-Garlic pan-fried bread&chorizo sausage
Spanish orange-almond flan recipe- A magic gluten free dessert
Spanish potato salad (Ensaladilla Rusa)- A Spanish favorite
Spanish Orange And Fennel Salad
Polvorones con limon- Traditional Spanish Christmas Cookies
📖 Recipe
Sizzling Chili Shrimp- Gambas al Pil Pil
Ingredients
- 16 ounces raw jumbo shrimp cleaned with no shells
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sweet Spanish Paprika
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add the chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds making sure to stir all the time (garlic burns really fast)
- Throw the crushed red chili peppers in the oil and cook for 10 seconds.
- Add the shrimp, sweet Spanish paprika and a pinch of salt in your pan.
- Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp turns pink and starts to curl.
- Remove and serve while sizzling in the same pan or transfer to a ceramic plate.
- Serve with toothpicks and chunks or slices of crusty bread to dip in the aromatic olive oil.
Kimberly says
Thanks so much for sharing. I made it for my family last week and they all love it.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi Kimberly, That is awesome. Thank you for coming back and sharing this with me. I love this recipe too and make it quite often.
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