Gulf News Food Show's Gambas al Ajillo or Spanish-style garlic shrimp

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

300 gms Large shrimp, peeled, deveined

12 Garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

A pinch of red pepper flakes or a 1-inch piece of dried guajillo chilli

2 tbsp Parsley leaves

Method:

First, pat the shrimp dry and season them with kosher salt. Let them marinate for a minute.

Next, warm up some extra virgin olive oil in a pan over a medium flame. Add the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant.

Now, add the seasoned shrimp and one teaspoon of paprika to the pan. Cook the shrimp in the warm oil until it cooks and turns pink, which should take about three minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, as they will continue to cook in the warm oil even after you remove them from the heat.

Once the shrimp are cooked, remove the pan from the flame and sprinkle in some chopped fresh parsley leaves. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a serving bowl and serve with some crusty bread.

Tips:

If you use frozen shrimp, run it under cool water to soften before using it.

For gambas al ajillo, it's preferable to use larger jumbo shrimp or prawns.

Gambas al ajillo is a delightful Spanish dish that translates to 'shrimp with garlic'. The combination of succulent shrimp cooked with aromatic garlic creates a flavourful and satisfying dish that will surely please your taste buds. The dish is brought to the table in the same piping hot clay bowls in which they have been cooked, bubbling and sizzling. And they taste like pure, garlicky heaven. Also delicious are the slices of toasted bread that usually accompany the shrimp. The rich herby sauce is so flavourful that you should savour every last drop of it.

- Chef Daniel Perez Delgado is the Head Chef at Lola Taberna Española, Dubai.

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