Gambas al Ajillo

Gambas al Ajillo: A Taste of Spain at Home

One of my all-time favorite dishes - one that feels fancy but is surprisingly easy to make - is Gambas al Ajillo, or Spanish garlic shrimp. It’s a classic tapas dish that captures the heart of Spanish cuisine: simple, bold, and deeply flavorful. Despite its impressive presentation and rich aroma, it comes together with minimal effort, making it perfect for both weeknight dinners and dinner parties alike.

This dish checks all the boxes: it’s quick to prepare, packed with flavor, and made from ingredients that most people already have in their kitchen. It’s perfect when you’re having guests over - it looks impressive, tastes absolutely amazing, and requires only a few basic items. Honestly, it’s so simple and delicious that I often make it just for myself as a comforting treat after a long day.

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Ingredients

You truly don’t need much to make this dish shine. The key is using fresh, good-quality ingredients that bring out the best in each other.

• Olive oil – Use a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. It serves as the cooking base and also becomes part of the final sauce, so don’t skimp!
• Garlic – Thinly sliced or chopped. This is the star of the dish, adding bold, aromatic depth to the oil.
• Shrimp – Peeled and deveined. Medium to large shrimp work best.
• Salt and pepper – For seasoning.
• Optional: Red pepper flakes or peperoncino for a spicy kick.
• Optional: Fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon for garnish and balance.

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How to Make It

Making Gambas al Ajillo is all about timing and attention to heat. Here’s a simple step-by-step process to guide you.

1. Generously coat a pan with olive oil and heat it up over medium heat. Make sure the oil gets hot enough to sizzle, but not so hot that it smokes. You want to gently coax the flavor out of the garlic, not burn it.

2. Toss in the sliced garlic once the oil is hot. Let it slowly sizzle and infuse the oil with its fragrance. This step is crucial - it sets the tone for the entire dish.

3. Add the shrimp to the pan once the garlic starts turning golden and aromatic. Cook them for about 1–2 minutes on each side until they’re beautifully pink and just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook them - shrimp can become rubbery if left on the heat too long.

4. Season with salt and pepper, and if you like a bit of heat (which I definitely do!), toss in some red pepper flakes or a pinch of crushed peperoncino. Stir everything together gently so the shrimp are well coated in that fragrant, garlicky oil.

That’s it — super simple, right?
The entire process takes less than 15 minutes, and the result is a dish that tastes like it took hours.

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How to surve?

Gambas al Ajillo is versatile and can be served in many delicious ways. Here are some of my favorite serving suggestions:

• As a Tapas Appetizer: Serve it with some warm, crusty bread. The bread is essential — it helps you soak up all that rich, garlicky olive oil that’s left in the pan. Seriously, you don’t want a drop of it to go to waste.

• As a Side Dish: It pairs wonderfully with pasta, risotto, or even roasted vegetables. The flavors blend nicely with many Western-style mains.

• As a Main Course: Load up the portion and serve it with rice, salad, or noodles. You can also toss it into cooked pasta with a bit of the garlic oil and a splash of pasta water for a rich, easy seafood pasta.

• Brunch or Light Lunch: I’ve even put the shrimp over toast with a poached egg for a fancier brunch-style version.

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Tips

Personally, I love adding a bit more spice than most. Red pepper flakes are my go-to for that extra heat, but if you’re sensitive to spice, feel free to leave them out. The dish still stands strong without it.

Here are a few extra tips to elevate the dish:

• Use fresh shrimp if possible — it really makes a difference in taste and texture.
• Don’t skimp on the garlic — this is the soul of the dish.
• Add a splash of dry white wine just before the shrimp goes in for added depth.
• Garnish with parsley or even a squeeze of lemon for brightness and balance.
• Try smoked paprika for a subtle, earthy twist that still feels authentically Spanish.

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Wine Pairing

This dish pairs beautifully with white wine. The fresh, slightly acidic notes help cut through the richness of the olive oil and enhance the shrimp’s sweetness. For this particular meal, we went with a Pinot Grigio, which was crisp, light, and refreshing - a perfect match.

Other good options include:

• Albariño (a classic Spanish white!)
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Verdejo
• Dry Riesling

If you’re a red wine lover, try a chilled light-bodied red like a Pinot Noir or Garnacha.

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Gambas al Ajillo is one of those rare recipes that manages to be incredibly easy and undeniably impressive. It brings a big flavor with minimal ingredients and almost no prep time. Whether you’re cooking for friends, family, or just treating yourself to a solo dinner, it delivers every single time.

It’s fast, flavorful, and endlessly customizable. You can tweak the spice, add fresh herbs, throw in extra seafood, or even turn it into a full-on pasta dish. Once you make it, it’s likely to become a permanent part of your regular rotation - just like it has in mine.

So next time you’re wondering what to make with a bag of shrimp and a few cloves of garlic, give Gambas al Ajillo a try.
It might just become your new favorite too.

¡Buen provecho!