Gambas al Ajillo

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I’ve had many requests by friends to publish this recipe on the blog. It’s Spanish recipe made with chile peppers, so it’s a natural for Mexican tastes and therefore a popular dish in Mexico. I discovered this dish in Nerja Spain, a resort village on the Andalusian Costa del Sol. In Spain, shrimp is generally identified as “Gamba” and in Mexico as “Camarón”. The Spanish grow and use Guindilla pepper which is uncommon at your grocers so I use Chile de Arbol pepper; it’s similar. I discovered from Chinese cuisine that when you cook using whole dried hot peppers the food is never really hot. Keeping them whole encapsulates the capsaicin and reduces the infusion of chile flavor into the food. This dish will turn out with a hint of heat by using whole peppers.

Ingredients

Serves 4

½ cup of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 pound shrimp peeled, salted and peppered

4 -6 whole chile de arbol peppers (or japonés or chinese/thai peppers)

1 Fresh lemon; juice ½ lemon, use the rest for plating

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt

Crusty bread

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chile peppers; sauté until the garlic is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and sauté for another 2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink.

Add the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Season to taste with salt, sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread for dipping in the sauce. Yum.

Plating

Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl. Distribute the juices from the pan into each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with lemon juice and parsley. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Notes

For a Mexican flavor, substitute cilantro for parsley and use chile de arbol. Don’t forget the crusty bread.