Appetizers & Snacks BY: PUBLISHED: 12/09/2020  UPDATED: 01/11/2024

Spanish Garlic Shrimp

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Spanish garlic shrimp or gambas al ajillo are a great tasty tapas dish!

Try these Spanish garlic shrimp or Gambas al ajillo. Super easy and fast recipe to make. Serve with bread or rice.

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Now you can easily make this at home and serve it as an appetizer for family or friends. Another fast recipe, so are you ready to learn how to make Spanish garlic shrimp? Let’s get started!

What You Need For This Recipe

To make these gambas al ajillo tapas you need about a handful of ingredients. Put the following products on your grocery shopping list:

  • Shrimp – you can use fresh or frozen pink medium to big shrimp
  • Garlic – mince fresh garlic
  • Onion – finely dice a small onion
  • Olive oil – to cook the shrimp use olive oil
  • Red pepper flakes – give the shrimp a little bit of a kick
  • Paprika – to season the shrimp
  • Parsley – you can use dried or fresh finely cut parsley

Note that the full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.

Spanish garlic shrimp ingredients

How To Make Spanish Garlic Shrimp Tapas

  1. Start this recipe by washing the shrimp with cold water. If you have shrimp with a shell, you can remove the shell and leave the tail on.
  2. Finely chop the onion and either thinly slice the garlic or finely chop the garlic as well.
  3. Take a small skillet and preheat to medium-hot. Then add the olive oil and let it warm for a couple of seconds before adding the onion.
  4. Stir continuously to prevent the onion from burning and then add the garlic. Again, stir the onion-garlic mix continuously until soft and translucent. This takes 2-3 minutes.
  5. Then add the red pepper flakes and paprika powder so they can infuse the oil. Stir and then add the shrimp and move them around in the oil.
  6. The shrimp will turn from gray to pink in about a minute. Turn the shrimp and let this side turn pink as well.
  7. Leave the shrimp for another minute, turn down the heat, and serve your garlic shrimp with fresh bread.

Spanish garlic shrimp or Gambas al ajillo. Super easy and fast recipe to make. Serve with bread or rice.

Spanish Garlic Shrimp Recipe

If you are a frequent visitor to the Tortilla Channel you know that I love tapas dishes. One of the great things to do when you are in Spain is to visit a tapas bar.

Especially at the end of the day, bridging, the gap between lunch and dinner is a great time for tapas. When you eat dinner at eight you definitely can eat a small snack. Garlic shrimp is one of those tasty tapas recipes.

You have to serve it with some baguette or bread so you can dip it in the garlic-flavored olive oil. It is also a great way to prevent spilling the hot oil the gambas are baked in.

Serve the gambas in the typical clay tapas dishes if you can find them. I found mine in a bazaar in Spain.

These stores have everything you can think of and cost next to nothing.

Spanish garlic shrimp tapa in a bowl. Ready to be served with some pieces of baguette.

What Type Of Shrimp To Use?

There are different types of shrimp you can use in this recipe.

  • Fresh or frozen – you can choose to buy fresh shrimp on the market or in the store or use frozen. When you use frozen let the shrimp thaw first. A simple trick to thaw shrimp fast is to put them in a bowl of cold water. Within minutes the shrimp are defrosted
  • Cleaned shrimp – you can choose to buy cleaned shrimp so the head and shells are removed. You can find shrimp with a tail, or totally stripped. If you decide to buy whole shrimp, do not through away all the shells but put them in water and make stock for fish soup
  • Raw or cooked shrimp – you can do both but I prefer the raw shrimp so they can pick up all the flavor of the garlic and oil. Cooked shrimp, e.g. cocktail shrimp, can also be used but be prepared these may have less flavor

Close up of tasty Spanish garlic shrimp served in a stone bowl.

Can You Make Gambas Al Ajillo Ahead?

Yes, you can make Spanish garlic shrimp ahead of time. If you are preparing a tapas night, you can make them in the afternoon or the day before.

Let them cool completely before you store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container like these leak-proof food containers you can find on Amazon.

Serve the shrimp in these decorative terracotta tapas bowls.

Spanish gambas al ajillo served in an orange bowl with some bread and Spanish tortilla.

Should I Serve Spanish Garlic Shrimp Hot Or Cold?

Gambas al ajillo tastes amazing both warm and cold. I love to dip a piece of bread in the infused garlic oil when it is warm, but cold they taste just great as well.

How To Reheat Gambas Al Ajillo?

The easiest way to reheat your gambas is it add them to a hot preheated cast-iron skillet with garlic-infused oil.

Just move them around really fast and take them out of the skillet. You do not want rubbery and tough shrimp. Serve immediately.

Tempting Spanish garlic shrimp in an orange stone bowl with some bread on a wooden serving board.

More Tapas Recipes

If you love tapas recipes, you should check out these recipes as well. Serve them together and you have your own tapas bar.

Try these tapas:

Wooden serving board filled with tapas, Spanish shrimp with garlic, Spanish tortilla, Tortillitas de Camarones and some bread.

Have fun with this Spanish garlic shrimp!

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Spanish garlic shrimp

Spanish Garlic Shrimp

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 2 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Try these Spanish garlic shrimp or Gambas al ajillo. Super easy and fast recipe to make. Serve with bread or rice.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups big shrimp
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • ½ teaspoon paprika powder

Instructions

  1. Wash the shrimp with cold water
  2. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
  3. Take a small skillet and preheat to medium-hot. Then add the olive oil and let it warm for a couple of seconds before adding the onion
  4. Stir continuously to prevent the onion from burning and then add the garlic. Again stir the onion-garlic mix continuously until soft and translucent. This takes 2-3 minutes
  5. Add the red pepper flakes and paprika powder so it can infuse the oil. Stir and add the shrimp and move them around in the oil
  6. The shrimp will turn from gray to pink in about a minute. Turn the shrimp and let this side turn pink as well
  7. Leave the shrimp for another minute and turn down the heat
  8. Serve your garlic shrimp with fresh bread

Notes

If you have shrimp with a shell you can remove the shell and leave the tail on

Nutrition facts

Calories: 374; Fat: 29g; Carbs: 4.8g. Protein: 24.5g;

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2 Comments

  • Reply

    Matteo

    04/18/2023 at 10:12 pm

    It looks like an easy and delicious recipe, the question I have is where does the red sauce come in, the shrimp look like they have a sauce in it on the picture.

    • Reply

      Mireille

      04/19/2023 at 3:14 pm

      Matteo,

      This recipe is indeed very tasty. There is no separate sauce in this recipe. The olive oil, with the onion, paprika powder, and chili flakes turns into a red-colored gravy-like sauce. So no additional or separate sauce is added.

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