Spanish Gambas al Ajillo Recipe (Guest Post)

Hello everyone! I’m excited to announce that my blog’s hosting the first-ever guest post. Here’s Annie, an expat in Madrid who writes Gambas & Grits. She did a simple, easy tapas post – a gambas al ajillo recipe. Seriously, even I could cook this one! Check out her site for lots of great posts about Spanish food. 

You can check out my “Insider’s Guide to Gaudí” on her site soon! Now, onto “Gambas al Ajillo”: 

Photo credit: PBS

“For those of you who don’t know me, howdy! I am Texannie (aka Gambas and Grits). Once upon a time, I was a finance lawyer in Houston. But then the Wicked Witch’s spell was broken, and now I get to live it up in Madrid!

I love eating and cooking and while I am thoroughly enjoying consuming my body weight in jamón and manchego. I do miss the flavors of my Southern roots. I collect recipes from my new home as well as my homeland, and sometimes I even invent my own recipes that encompass the flavors of both (like my recipe for Tortilla Española with a Touch of Texas).

Recently, I have begun a recipe series on tapas, the quintessential Spanish epicurean experience. Whether you live in Spain or not, you can easily prepare your own authentic plates of these delicious delectables. Gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns), in particular, are classic Spanish and the perfect example of how easy it really is to cook Spanish cuisine.

¿Os apetece? (Sound good, y’all?)

Gambas al Ajillo Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound shrimp or prawns, peeled (with or without heads)

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat for about a minute.

2. Add 1 pound of shrimp/prawns to olive oil and cook for about 2 minutes.

3. Add 5 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes to shrimp, tossing for an additional minute.

4. Serve hot with fresh French bread.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Not! Easy!
Cost: Medium (shrimps are ‘spensive!)
Servings: 2-4″

Hope you all enjoyed the guest post from Annie! 

Also, if you want a couple other tapas to go with your shrimp, try these other easy recipes:

• Pimientos del Padrón – sometimes spicy green peppers 
• Espinacas con Garbanzos – spinach and chickpeas; much tastier than it sounds!

What do you think of Annie’s gambas al ajillo recipe? 

Besos!

-Jess