Spanish Style Shrimp Recipes

SPANISH GARLIC SHRIMP (GAMBAS AL AJILLO)

Steps:

• Slice garlic thinly. Season shrimp with kosher salt and paprika. Mix to coat.
• Heat garlic and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until garlic starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and increase heat to high. Toss and turn shrimp with tongs until starting to curl but still undercooked, about 2 minutes. Pour in sherry. Cook, stirring continuously, until sauce comes up to a boil and shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley with a spoon.

SPANISH SHRIMP AND RICE

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and turmeric and cook until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, carrot and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to turn pink, about 1 minute. Add the rice, 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon parsley; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the peas and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon parsley. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the rice mixture with a fork and incorporate the peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with hot sauce.
• Photograph by Christopher Testani

SPANISH-STYLE SHRIMP WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, toss and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy nonstick frying pan, and add the garlic, bay leaf and chile. Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to color, about one minute. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, two to three minutes. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

SPANISH RICE AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice mix and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Boil for 1 minute; cover and reduce heat. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until just soft, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and seafood seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are bright pink, about 5 minutes.
• Mound rice on each plate; top with a portion of the pepper-shrimp mixture and a generous sprinkling of parsley.

SPANISH-STYLE SHRIMP

Steps:

• Combine the oil and garlic in a 10- or 12-inch skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle, then add the cumin and paprika. Stir, raise the heat to medium-high, and add the shrimp, along with some salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are all pink, no longer; you do not want to evaporate their liquid. Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and serve.
• VARIATIONS
• Omit the cumin and paprika; use cayenne in place of black pepper. When the shrimp are cooked, stir in 2 or more tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
• Substitute peanut or vegetable oil for the olive oil and cook 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger and 2 or 3 small dried red chiles (or to taste) along with the garlic; omit the cumin and paprika. When the shrimp are done, stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce; garnish with minced scallion or fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
• Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.

SPANISH STYLE SHRIMP

Steps:

• Combine the oil and garlic in a 10 or 12- inch skillet.
• Turn the heat to medium and cook the garlic begins to sizzle, then add the cumin and paprika.
• Stir, raise heat to high, and add the shrimp, along with some salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are all pink, no longer.
• Turn off the heat, add the parsley and serve.

SPANISH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Preheat the grill over high heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, shallots, cumin, paprika, about 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the shrimp and stir to coat the shrimp thoroughly.
• Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Using a small grate grill rack, grill the shrimp for about 1-2 minutes per side or until pink and just cooked through.
• (If you don't have a small grill rack you can also thread the shrimp on skewers to prevent them from falling through your rack.) Remove from the grill and garnish with cilantro and parsley.
• Squeeze lemon juice over the top of the shrimp and serve.

SPANISH-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage and chicken in oil for 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain if necessary. , Stir in rice and onion. Cook until onion is tender and rice is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the broth, tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, salt and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 10 minutes. , Stir in the shrimp, peppers and peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer or until rice is tender, shrimp turn pink and liquid is absorbed. Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.