Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)

[Troutman]

You had me at Gambas (although that really translates as prawns but who cares) !!! Good looking dish, thanks so much for posting the recipe. Going into Paprika as we speak.

[bbqLuv]

I enjoy a little shrimp.
Cocktail sauce

[Donw]

Thank you. One of my favorite dishes ever.

[Dewesq55]

This ubiquitous Spanish dish can be served as an appetizer, tapas or main course. The number served depends on what is being used for.

I agglomerated a few recipes to produce this. I was attempting to reproduce a favorite version from a NYC restaurant that used to be a favorite when I was younger.

Timing - There's a decent amount of prep, but the cooking goes fairly quickly.

Ingredients

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound medium to large, shell-on or EZ peel shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved (I used size 31-40)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 10-12 cloves garlic, divided
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (sweet or hot)
• 3 Tablespoons dry sherry
• 1½ teaspoons sherry vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, divided
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, divided

Directions

1. Finely mince (or grate) 4 garlic cloves and place in large bowl. Smash 2-4 cloves under the flat side of a knife and place in a large skillet. Thinly slice remaining four garlic cloves and set aside.
2. Add shrimp to the bowl with minced garlic. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and baking soda. Toss to combine thoroughly and set aside at room temperature.
3. Add shrimp shells to skillet with smashed garlic and add remaining olive oil and pepper flakes. Set over medium-low to low heat and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until shells are deep ruby red, garlic is pale golden brown, and oil is intensely aromatic, about 10 minutes. Oil should be gently bubbling the whole time. When ready, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, tossing and pressing the shrimp shells to extract as much oil as possible. Discard shells and garlic.
4. Return flavored oil to the skillet over moderate heat. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden brown, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until shrimp are barely cooked through, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in sherry, sherry vinegar or lemon juice, paprika, 1½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon) cold butter, and half the parsley.
6. Cook until butter has melted, about 1 minute, then remove from heat and add remaining 1½ tablespoons cold butter. Swirl until all butter has melted and sauce has emulsified and thickened slightly. You can turn the pan to very low heat if necessary, but it shouldn't be.
7. Serve shrimp topped with the pan sauce. Garnish with remaining flat-leaf parsley. Serve with oven-warmed crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce, or serve over plain rice.