Name: Gambas al Ajillo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 500 g raw shrimp, peeled, tails left on; 150 ml extra virgin olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 dried guindilla chili, or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped; salt, to taste; crusty bread, for serving

Gambas al ajillo is about as simple as Spanish cooking gets: shrimp, garlic, oil and a little heat, cooked in minutes. It shows up on tapas menus everywhere because it is fast to make and almost impossible to get wrong.

The dish only has two real risks. Burning the garlic, which turns the whole thing bitter, and overcooking the shrimp, which turns them rubbery. Watch both closely and you are most of the way there.

Part of our 20 best Spanish recipes list.

method

Pat the shrimp completely dry and season lightly with salt.

Heat the olive oil in a small cazuela or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili and cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic turns pale gold. Watch it closely; burnt garlic turns bitter fast.

Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until pink and just cooked through.

Scatter over the parsley, give the pan one shake to mix everything, and bring it straight to the table still sizzling.

Serve with plenty of bread for soaking up the garlic oil.

chef's tips

This is a two-minute dish once the oil is hot. Have everything else on the table ready before you start cooking.
A traditional earthenware cazuela holds heat and keeps the dish sizzling at the table far longer than a metal pan.
Do not skip drying the shrimp. Wet shrimp spit in hot oil and steam instead of searing.
The garlic oil left in the dish is not a byproduct, it is half the point. Bread is not optional here.